The Artemis II countdown moved ahead smoothly as engineers readied NASA’s giant Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew capsule for fueling and liftoff, setting the stage for the agency’s first piloted mission to the moon in roughly 50 years.
Reporting from Kennedy Space Center, senior correspondent Mark Strassmann said the updated forecast held at about 80 percent favorable — not a guarantee, but a promising indicator for the planned launch. Teams are working through an exhaustive checklist: roughly 500 launch criteria must be green to clear the way for liftoff.
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson showed Strassmann the abort panel NASA keeps for last-minute emergencies. Pressing the prominent red button would jettison the capsule and get the crew safely into the Atlantic — a reminder of how close the team’s attention stays to that option in the final minutes.
If all goes as planned, Orion will first enter low Earth orbit, then head outward on a roughly nine-day, half-million-mile round trip to the moon. The capsule will swing around the moon’s far side before returning to Earth, with a planned splashdown near San Diego. During the transit past the far side, the crew may travel farther from Earth than any humans in history.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized the mission’s top priority: bringing the four-person crew home safely. In conversation with Strassmann, he noted the risks involved — ‘‘four very brave astronauts’’ undertaking objectives not attempted since 1972 — and added a lighter touch about staying in close contact: texts about coffee, donuts or DoorDash to keep the crew supported.
One historic milestone aboard Artemis II: Christina Cook is poised to become the first woman to see the moon’s far side. She and three crewmates will live in a capsule about the size of two minivans for the journey. Cook compared the experience to a compact RV road trip: ‘‘A little tight,’’ she said, ‘‘but something we train for.’’
Getting to the moon will take about four days. If liftoff proceeds as planned, coverage from Kennedy Space Center will include a special report beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, following final launch preparations and the go/no-go decision for launch.