The four-person Artemis II crew is in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center as NASA prepares for a Wednesday launch that would send humans farther from Earth than ever before. If all goes according to plan, the mission will loop around the far side of the moon and return to Earth.
CBS reporter Mark Strassmann, on site at Kennedy, said the mood is optimistic: the rocket is ready on the pad used during the Apollo era, the astronauts are in place, and teams are finishing final checks. “We are getting very, very close,” he reported summarizing NASA’s briefings.
Agency officials say launch preparations are complete. NASA’s Lori Glaze told reporters, “Our flight systems are ready. The ground systems are ready. Our launch and operations teams are ready,” while teams in Houston stand by for flight operations.
Artemis II would lift off during the opening day of a six-day launch window. The crew will orbit Earth twice on day one before heading to the moon. They will not attempt a landing; instead they will travel behind the moon, reaching about 253,000 miles from Earth — farther than any humans have gone — before looping back toward home.
The mission is planned to last nine days and conclude with a splashdown off the San Diego coast, a rehearsal for a crewed lunar landing targeted around 2028. NASA describes Artemis II as a test flight to validate systems and operations for future missions.
Mission commander Reid Wiseman emphasized the mission’s purpose and the acceptance of risk: if humans are to explore farther, they must accept calculated risks. He said he and crewmates Victor, Christina, and Jeremy are ready to carry out that work.
Officials expect a large public turnout at Kennedy Space Center, with roughly 400,000 spectators projected to watch the launch.