Photo : YONHAP News / AFP
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) is preparing to launch Artemis II, its first astronaut mission to the moon in 53 years.
NASA started the countdown clock Monday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 49 hours and 40 minutes before scheduled liftoff.
The launch preparation team is powering equipment and making necessary checks for the 32-story Space Launch System rocket that’s expected to blast off on Wednesday at 6:24 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, with four astronauts on board.
NASA has predicted an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions on the day of launch. Strong winds and clouds will be variables.
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said,“Our team has worked extremely hard to get us to this moment,” adding that all indications right now show they are in “excellent shape.”
Even if the launch is delayed due to poor weather, NASA said launch opportunities extend through April 6.
The Artemis II mission was originally scheduled to take off in February, but was grounded by hydrogen fuel leaks, followed by a clogged helium pressurization line.
If Artemis II is successfully launched this time, it will be the first crewed spacecraft to travel to the lunar vicinity since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
The Orion capsule carrying the astronauts will travel around the moon and back to Earth over the course of a nearly ten-day journey before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission will also make history for its diverse crew, which features the first woman, first Black person and first Canadian to travel to the moon.