Artemis II prepares to launch of crewed moon missionnewsline24

1 of 3 | NASA’s Artemis II moon rocket with the Orion Spacecraft atop rests on Launch Complex 39B in the early morning light at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday. Artemis II, with a four-person crew, is scheduled to lift off later today at 6:24 p.m. EDT, with a two-hour window. It will be the first crew launch to visit the Moon in more than 50 years. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

April 1 (UPI) — NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to launch Wednesday evening from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The four astronauts are preparing for liftoff at 6:24 p.m. EDT.

The rocket has its fill of fuel for the launch, and “Everything is going very well right now,” Artemis Assistant Launch Director Jeremy Graeber said.

The 10-day trip will be the first crewed flight to the moon in more than 50 years and the farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans.

NASA said Tuesday that its only concern is with the weather, which is likely to be OK for launch. If it doesn’t go, there will be more launch opportunities through April 6.

Wind is a potential foil, though. Launch weather officer Mark Burger said NASA is doing real-time monitoring via multiple methods.

The Artemis I mission in 2022 flew around the moon but didn’t have a crew aboard. The Artemis II crew are: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover.