Artemis II: Four astronauts set for NASA's first moon mission in 50 years

NASA's Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby, the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since 1972. A dress rehearsal is scheduled after weather-related delays moved the earliest launch to Feb. 8, leaving Feb. 11 as the last feasible date this month.

Four astronauts are preparing to fly on NASA's Artemis II mission, a crewed lunar flyby that would be the agency's first mission around the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission team is conducting a critical dress rehearsal after weather and near-freezing temperatures delayed earlier fueling tests. The crew remains in quarantine in Houston and their final arrival at Kennedy Space Center is not yet confirmed. Mission managers have identified Feb. 11 as the last possible launch date this month if the schedule holds. Key details: - Mission crew: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are assigned to Artemis II. - Mission objective: A lunar flyby and return; the crew will orbit the moon but will not land. - Schedule changes: Weather delays cancelled a planned fueling test and moved the earliest launch to Feb. 8, with Feb. 11 cited as the last feasible date in the current window. - Technical measures: Heaters are keeping the Orion capsule warm atop the rocket, and rocket-purging systems are being adapted for cold conditions. - Related operations: A fresh crew to the International Space Station has been accelerated for medical reasons, and managers say the moonshot would take operational priority if it launches by Feb. 11. Summary: If Artemis II launches by Feb. 11 the mission will proceed as planned with the four-person crew undertaking a lunar flyby and return; if it cannot, the launch would move into March. Operational details such as the crew's arrival at Kennedy and the timing of the next ISS crew launch remain subject to mission decisions and conditions.