The 32-story Space Launch System rocket is poised to blast off Wednesday with four astronauts.
In this photo provided by NASA, astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr. collects lunar samples at Station No. 1 during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity at the Descartes landing site, April 21, 1972. .
After a day in orbit around Earth, their Orion capsule will propel them to the moon and back. There are no stops — just a quick U-turn around the moon. The nearly 10-day flight will end with a splashdown in the Pacific. “Our team has worked extremely hard to get us to this moment,” said launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. “Certainly all indications are right now we are in excellent, excellent shape.” Managers said the rocket is doing well following the latest round of repairs. Forecasters said the weather should cooperate. Photographers setup remote cameras near NASA’s Artermis II moon rocket on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Crew lunar observations lead Sara Schmidt demonstrates software at Johnson Space Center on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Houston. NASA’s Artermis II moon rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center at sunrise Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA’s Artermis II moon rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Photographers setup remote cameras near NASA’s Artermis II moon rocket on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA’s Artemis II mission should have soared in February, but was grounded by hydrogen fuel leaks. The leaks were fixed, but then a helium pressurization line became clogged, forcing a return to the hangar late last month. The rocket Unlike Apollo, which sent only men to the moon from 1968 through 1972, Artemis’ debut crew includes a woman, person of color and a non-U.S. citizen. Artemis II’s pilot Victor Glover said over the weekend that he wants young people to see them and think, “Girl power and that’s awesome, and that young brown boys and girls can look at me and go ‘Hey, he looks like me and he’s doing what???’”He suddenly couldn’t speak in space. NASA astronaut says his medical scare remains a mysteryScientists captured female sperm whales on video working together during a birth to protect the calfAt the same time, Glover, who is Black, looks forward to when ”one day we don’t have to talk about these firsts” and exploring the cosmos becomes an all-encompassing “human history.” NASA has the first six days of April to launch Artemis II before standing down until the end of the month. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.San Diego loses population as immigration nosedives. What are the consequences? Its schools are falling apart, and voters won’t pass a bond. Could a little-used tactic help this district?Santee fire that prompted evacuations at shopping center charred 5 acres ‘Character of our community is diminished.’ Borrego Springs group asks for short-term rental regulationsWeak Pacific storm expected to largely bypass San Diego County this week
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Best moon movies: 12 lunar adventures to watch ahead of NASA's Artemis 2 launchJeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere.
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