NASA is poised to launch Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the moon in over 50 years. The Space Launch System and Orion capsule await final clearance, with a launch window opening at 6:24 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 1.
"We are getting very, very close," said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's exploration systems. The four-person crew - Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen - completed final quarantine procedures at Kennedy Space Center.
"We are ready to go, but we don't expect to launch," Wiseman emphasized. "We will go when the vehicle and team say we're ready."
The 10-day test flight will carry humans farther from Earth than any mission before, paving the way for a 2028 lunar landing and eventual Mars missions. NASA resolved a helium-flow issue in the SLS upper stage last month, but new delays remain possible.
Launch opportunities extend through April 9; the final window closes April 30.