Live updates: NASA readies to launch Artemis II astronauts around the moon
NBC News Clone summarizes the latest on: Nasa Artemis Ii Launch Time Watch Moon Mission Live Updates Rcna257132 - Breaking News | NBC News Clone. This article is rewritten and presented in a simplified tone for a better reader experience.
The crew is scheduled to lift off as early as 6:24 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
What to know
- NASA's long-awaited Artemis II mission is set to launch four astronauts on a journey around the moon today. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- The crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will be the first people to launch toward the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, more than 50 years ago. The crew will also be the first astronauts that NASA's giant Space Launch System rocket launches into space.
- The 10-day mission does not include a lunar landing; rather, it is designed as a step toward a landing in 2028, and eventually, toward NASA’s goal of establishing a long-term presence on the moon and building a base there. When they circle the moon, the Artemis II crew members could reach a greater distance from Earth than anyone has before.
- NBC News' Denise Chow, Tom Costello, Aaron Gilchrist and Jesse Kirsch are on the ground for the launch in Cape Canaveral.
Pre-launch fist bumps
NASA TV via Reuters
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen prepares to enter the Orion crew capsule for the Artemis II mission in a still image from video.
What comes after Artemis II?
For NASA, Artemis II is a kind of appetizer.
“Artemis II is the opening act. It’s a test mission, right?,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said in a recent interview with NBC News.
During Artemis II, a 10-day mission, astronauts will fly by the moon and come within about 6,000 miles of its surface as they test equipment on Orion spacecraft.
After that, NASA plans to launch the Artemis III mission by mid-2027, which aims to demonstrate key technology in low-Earth orbit. Those tests will include rendezvous and docking exercises between Orion and at least one commercial lunar lander. SpaceX and Blue Origin are both working on landers; NASA plans to use whichever is completed first to carry its astronauts from lunar orbit down to the moon's surface during the Artemis IV mission.
NASA aims to launch Artemis IV in 2028. The plan for that mission calls for two astronauts to spend about a week exploring the lunar south pole.
Launch fever along Florida's 'Space Coast'
Launch fever descended on central Florida’s “Space Coast” yesterday, where locals and visitors jockeyed for prime spots to watch the Artemis II mission lift off.
Pat Dimond said she traveled from Colorado to watch the historic event with her childhood friend Kathy Walker. They snagged front-row seats Saturday morning at the end of a pier at Space View Park, which is located across the Indian River from the launch pad.
Pat Dimond at Space View Park yesterday. Davvon Branker for NBC News
With more than 30 hours still to go until the launch, Dimond and Walker were prepared to camp out on Tuesday to protect their spots. They even used a cable lock to secure their folding chairs to the dock.
Dimond said she journeyed to Florida for this launch to honor the memory of her husband, who died three years ago of Covid-19 and was a self-professed space nerd.
People gather at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Fla., yesterday. Davvon Branker for NBC News
“He had been a space guy since the beginning of [Project] Mercury. He went to space camp the first year that they let adults go. He knew everything about every launch and he always wanted to see a launch,” she said.
A look at the far side of the moon
As the Artemis II astronauts swoop around the moon, they will catch glimpses of the far side of the moon that have never been seen by humans.
That's because the far side of the moon always faces away from Earth.
“It turns out there’s about 60% of the far side, I think, that has never been seen by human eyes because of the lighting conditions,” NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, who will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission, said in a media briefing on Friday. “Apollo always wanted that light on the front side of the moon for their landing and launch capability. … We’ve seen it in satellite photos, but humans have never, ever seen that before. That’s cool.”
Closeout workers begin process to seal astronauts inside Orion
After finishing checks on the astronauts' space suits, the closeout crew exited the Orion capsule and began steps to close its two hatches. It's a careful process because a single hair or piece of dust could interfere with the spacecraft's seals, according to NASA.
The closeout crew will test the seals with a hand pump to see if they hold pressure, perform some other tests and then pressurize the entire capsule if all goes well.
Satellite image shows SLS on launch pad
Vantor
An aerial view of NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center today.
NASA testing astronauts' communications and umbilical connections
With the astronauts strapped into the Orion spacecraft, the crew is going through a series of checks on voice communications, umbilical connections and their suits.
The astronauts did several rounds of verbal communications confirmations with Mission Control.
"Houston has all four crew loud and clear," mission controllers said.
Later, the astronauts flipped their visors down as their suits went through a pressure check to verify that there were no leaks.
'I'd like to be along with them,' Apollo 17 astronaut says
One of the last men to step on the moon will watch today’s launch from afar. Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, 90, won’t attend today’s Artemis II launch, but he is cheering on the crew from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Schmitt was invited but couldn’t make the cross-country trip.
“I’d like to be along with them,” he told me earlier this week, adding: “The gang will really have a great time.”
NASA launch director says team is ‘ready’
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the launch director for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, shared a message for the astronauts.
“Today, you carry the work of thousands and the hopes of millions," Blackwell-Thompson said in a prerecorded video. “The team is ready, the vehicle is ready. You are ready.”
Astronauts have boarded the Orion capsule
With just under four hours until the launch window opens, the astronauts climbed into the Orion spacecraft.
Commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen were the first two to enter the capsule. They then began a series of checks to confirm they had voice communications with mission control. The other two astronauts, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, entered shortly afterward, where they received suit checks, too.
The astronauts will be strapped into a five-point harness and connected to a cord that controls air flow, among other things.
Soon, the closeout crew will close the crew module and the exterior hatches on the launch abort system, which is a lengthy, careful process.
Trump will monitor Artemis II launch from White House
President Donald Trump will be monitoring the planned launch of Artemis II from the White House on Wednesday, a White House official told NBC News.
“During President Trump’s first term, the Artemis program was formally established to return humanity to the Moon. President Trump is excited about the next phase with the historic upcoming Artemis II launch," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement. "This effort will strengthen American leadership in space, usher in scientific discoveries, and serve as the proving ground for missions to Mars.”
Trump weighed in on Truth Social, writing:
"For the first time in over 50 YEARS, America is going back to the Moon! Artemis II, among the most powerful rockets ever built, is launching our Brave Astronauts farther into Deep Space than any human has EVER gone," Trump wrote. "We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and every in between."
Crew members prepare to board the Orion capsule
Around 2:20 p.m. ET, the astronauts took an elevator up the fixed service structure on the launch pad, then walked down the crew access arm to a space known as the "White Room." That will be their final stop before climbing aboard the Orion spacecraft, which is perched atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket.
Astronauts arrive at launch pad
The astronauts have arrived at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center after a 20-minute drive in the astrovan, flanked by a convoy of SUVs with flashing lights.
The first mission to use this launch pad was Apollo 10, which lifted off on May 18, 1969. That mission was, similarly, a rehearsal for a moon landing.
The pad has been modified several times since, according to NASA. The uncrewed Artemis I mission launched from this pad in 2022.
Astronauts pose with families (at a distance) during walkout
Commander Reid Wiseman flashes a heart sign as he poses for a photo with his family. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Pilot Victor Glover with his family today. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The crew can't get too close to their families because they have been in quarantine to avoid germs before their flight.
En route to the launch pad
The van carrying the astronauts just drove by the press site. On either side of the road, there were employees and other members of the press watching. At other points along the astronauts' drive, crowds had gathered to cheer them on, some people waving American flags.
A helicopter with armed guard flew overhead as the astronauts approached the launch pad.
Watching 'Point Break' and 'Top Gun' on the astrovan
The astronauts just climbed aboard their "astrovan" for a 20-minute ride to the launch pad.
The 27-foot motorhome is equipped with a TV and sound system. At least a few of the crew members planned to watch portions of the movies "Top Gun" and "Point Break" during their short ride, according to NASA's livestream.
Here they come!
The Artemis II astronauts stepped outside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:50 p.m. ET. The crew members were greeted by a cheering crowd of NASA staff, as well as members of the media and their families.
One of Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s daughters could be heard shouting, “Go Canada!”
"It’s a great day for us. It’s a great day for the team,” Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman said.
The Artemis II crew members walk out before traveling to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images
Wiseman, Hansen and their fellow crew members Christina Koch and Victor Glover cannot hug or get too close to their families because they have been in quarantine to avoid germs before their flight.
They will next board their "astrovan" to head over to the launch pad.
Astronauts' families wait to see them before launch
The astronauts are on their way from the suit-up room to greet their families ahead of their launch. Seen in the photos below are the families of Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hanson and NASA astronaut Victor Glover.
Smooth, so far
Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons has come out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to send off the Artemis II crew. Gibbons is Jeremy Hansen’s backup.
She said everything so far has gone “smoothly.”
Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons. Denise Chow / NBC News
'No anxiety, no nerves'
I'm sitting here watching the end of suit-up with former NASA astronaut Steve Robinson, who flew on four space shuttle missions from 1997 to 2010. He says right around this time there’s no anxiety, no nerves. The crew is just ready to go.
Spotted at the launch: Sen. Mark Kelly
Sen. Mark Kelly is at Kennedy Space Center today to watch the launch.
He joked about being available if the Artemis II crew needs a backup and said he made sure his granddaughter is watching the launch today at school.
Retired astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., attends the launch of the Artemis II. Denise Chow / NBC News
Kelly, who traveled to space four times as a NASA astronaut between 2001 and 2011, commanded the Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final flight.
The astronauts suit up
NASA
The four Artemis II astronauts are getting into their custom-fit spacesuits in the Astronaut Crew Quarters of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building.
A team of suit technicians helped the crew members put on the suits and test them for leaks. As of 1:20 p.m. ET — about five hours from the opening of the launch window — all four astronauts had removed their helmets, which means they had passed the leak tests, according to NASA’s livestream. The suits’ outer layer is fire-resistant, and the gloves are touch screen compatible.
This photo shows pilot Victor Glover, left, and commander Reid Wiseman as they prepare for launch.
'There's nothing like launch day'
Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson says they have given the crew a briefing on the process of tanking the rocket. She says she also shared the weather with the crew — an 80% chance of go — watching some precipitation that they believe will dissipate before launch.
“There is nothing like a launch day,” she added.
We are just a few minutes from the closeout crew heading to the pad to do the finishing touches before the astronauts head out to get strapped in.
Well wishes from Jeff Bezos
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos offered a brief message of encouragement to the Artemis II crew on X today: "Let's go!"
Bezos' rocket company is working with NASA to build a lunar lander that could carry astronauts to the moon's surface in a future Artemis mission.
A milestone in the fueling process
NASA announced at 12:23 p.m. ET that it had completed the fast fill of liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System rocket's upper stage — a milestone in its tanking operations.
For the most part, the remainder of the fueling process will involve replenishing and topping off liquid oxygen fuel, but a significant chunk of the work to get more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant into the booster is done.
A lego model of NASA's Artemis II moon rocket
NBC News tech manager Barry Sprauge built this lego model of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule. The Artemis II mission will be the first time the system launches humans into space.
Jay Blackman / NBC News
Huge SpaceX factory under construction at Kennedy Space Center
On the drive to NASA's press site, cars stream past what will be SpaceX's Gigabay, a huge facility where the company eventually plans to build its Starship vehicles.
Starship, SpaceX's next-generation rocket system, is a key part of NASA's efforts to return to the moon. For a moon landing — which the agency plans for the Artemis IV mission in 2028 — astronauts are slated to dock with a lunar lander made either by SpaceX or Blue Origin while they orbit the moon. Then they'll use that commercially developed vehicle to descend to the surface.
NASA chief says ‘Artemis II is the opening act’
It’s a bold time at NASA, and the Artemis II launch is meant to be just a first step, according to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who assumed the role last year.
“It’s time to start believing again,” Isaacman said Tuesday in an interview with NBC News in which he outlined NASA’s new ambitions.
By next year, he said, NASA should be sending uncrewed rockets to the moon on a cadence measured in months, as opposed to years.
“Artemis II is the opening act. It’s a test mission, right?” he said.
“Then, we’ll set up for 2028, where American astronauts will return to the surface of the moon, and we’re going to build a moon base. We’re going to establish an enduring presence, realize its scientific, economic value, make it a proving ground for what comes next.”
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman holds a news conference with the Artemis II crew at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 17. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
After that: Mars.
“Here’s a simple reality: When you see American astronauts step foot off the lander onto the lunar surface, I’ll tell you at that moment, we have the capability to send astronauts to Mars,” Isaacman said. “We’re going to use the moon as a proving ground for mobility, for habitability and for the technology necessary to undertake missions to Mars and bring them home safely.”
Isaacson said NASA’s next phase could be similar to the Apollo program, in which the nation launched six lunar landing missions and 11 crewed missions from 1962 to 1972.
“We used to launch missions like this routinely. It was only two months from when Apollo 10 was in lunar orbit to when Apollo 11 launched Neil and Buzz to the surface of the moon, right?” Isaacson said, referring to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who in 1969 became first people to walk on the moon.
“We know how to get into this kind of a cadence around here. We can do things the right way.”
'Time to fly'
"Nothing but gratitude for the men and women of this great nation. It is time to fly," Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman said in a post on X yesterday afternoon.
Get ready for traffic snarls along Florida's 'Space Coast'
The roads heading onto Merritt Island, where NASA's Kennedy Space Center is located, were already starting to get congested by 8 a.m. local time.
Highway signs flashing "Launch Today" warned motorists to plan ahead and prepare for delays.
At the sold-out Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral, a line of cars stretched for about a half-mile waiting to check in before the park opened at 7 a.m. ET.
Traffic in Jetty Park, Cape Canaveral, this morning. Charlie Gile / NBC News
Watching excitement build at Kennedy Space Center
There is a definite buzz of excitement at the press site here at the Kennedy Space Center. We see members of the astronaut corps walking around, smiling. Former NASA space shuttle astronaut Mike Massimino told us this morning that the Artemis II crew is ready to go.
Just after 7:30 a.m. ET, the call to go for fueling came from mission managers. Right now, the core stage is in fast fill mode, and after that, NASA will transition into topping mode, in which its teams get the tanks to 100% full. Crews will keep topping the rocket's tanks off the whole day.
Right now, the astronauts are awake and having breakfast. Then they will proceed into the suit-up room, where they will put on their launch suits, tailored perfectly for each astronaut. The room has a history: It's the same place where Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins suited up before they went to the moon. The space features photos of astronauts getting suited up over the years. NBC News' Al Roker previously spoke to the crew in the room and said they all felt the history that came with being inside it.
People gather in Titusville, Fla., ahead of the launch today. Marco Bello / Reuters
Fueling began early this morning
The first step of the hourslong fueling process for NASA's Space Launch System rocket began around 7:44 a.m. ET.
See photos of NASA’s giant moon rocket
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP - Getty Images
The Artemis II mission will be the first time NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule carry people into space. Building each vehicle has taken years — a process NASA has documented in photos at every stage.
Scroll through more images here of the rocket’s construction, the capsule’s design, the crew’s training and the lead-up to today’s launch attempt.
The Artemis II mission patch
The crew wanted to convey a sense of unity and togetherness, so Victor Glover, the Artemis II mission pilot, said he and his fellow astronauts designed their mission patch to make “A II” — for “Artemis II” — styled to look like the word “All.”
The Artemis astronauts unveil their emblem on April 2, 2025. Robert Markowitz / NASA
“We want everybody to be a part of this mission,” Glover said. “There’s a lot of little things that will divide us. It’ll fill in the cracks and expand, if we let it. And it would be nice if this could just be some caulking, some reinforcement to fill in those spaces, to prevent division.”
The first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years
The four crew members will begin suiting up this morning before they head to the launch pad in the afternoon.
Photos: Artemis fans greet the sunrise ahead of launch
Space enthusiasts watch the sunrise today from a park in Titusville, Fla., near the Kennedy Space Center. Gregg Newton / AFP - Getty Images
The launch is more than 11 hours away, but space enthusiasts were already camped out this morning in anticipation.
A boat moves along the Indian River past the Kennedy Space Center at sunrise. Gregg Newton / AFP - Getty Images
Space fans camped out at a park in Titusville this morning. Gregg Newton / AFP - Getty Images
NASA’s long-delayed, over-budget path back to the moon
The road to today’s launch attempt has been long, winding and bumpy for NASA, not to mention inordinately expensive.
Combined, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft have cost more than $44 billion to develop over more than a decade. And the Artemis program, which originally aimed to return astronauts to the moon’s surface by 2024, has faced numerous setbacks.
The program’s ever-ballooning price tag has been one of several major targets for its skeptics, many of whom share a “been there, done that” attitude about going back to the moon. The years of delays are another, especially given that China aims to put its own astronauts on the moon by 2030. Some experts and former astronauts have also voiced concerns about the Orion capsule’s heat shield, which sustained unexpected damage in the uncrewed Artemis I flight nearly four years ago and will soon have to protect four crew members as they plunge through Earth’s atmosphere.
Can Artemis II inject enough momentum into NASA’s return-to-the-moon program to appease its critics?
A test of the Space Launch System’s booster in 2016. Bill Ingalls / NASA file
A breakdown of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule
A go for launch
The crew will begin suiting up this morning and are expected to arrive at the launch pad in the afternoon.
What to expect today
NASA began fueling the enormous Space Launch System rocket at 7:44 a.m. ET. In total, more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant will be loaded into the booster, a process that can take up to five hours.
NASA’s live broadcast of the launch attempt will begin at 12:50 p.m. ET on its YouTube channel. The agency also plans to broadcast live views from the Orion capsule during the mission.
Clear skies over Kennedy Space Center. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The four astronauts will be driven to the launch pad roughly 4 hours and 40 minutes before liftoff, and crews will help strap them into their seats aboard the Orion capsule. The countdown clock will tick down to a liftoff time at 6:34 p.m. ET, but there will be several built-in holds, when the clock will pause for specific activities. You may notice, for instance, that the countdown clock will pause at 40 minutes before liftoff, after which the launch director will conduct a final “go-no go” poll.
At the T-minus 10-minute mark, a computer will take over the final minutes of the countdown — a mostly automated sequence known as “terminal count.” At that point, things will move quickly as the rocket’s various systems switch to internal battery power, the main engines power up and, at the T-minus 0 mark, the booster finally ignites for liftoff.
Weather for liftoff remains promising
The forecast shows an 80% chance of favorable conditions for the Artemis II launch, according to the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, which provides official updates for NASA’s launch activities.
The main concerns are cloud coverage and the potential for high winds at the time of liftoff. Cumulus clouds, in particular, are closely monitored before space launches because rockets can trigger lightning as they pass near or through a thick cloud layer. Such clouds are also associated with storms and potentially dangerous updrafts and downdrafts of wind.
“Over the course of a two-hour window, weather can change and things can move around,” Artemis flight director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said Monday at a news briefing. “And so, you know, when I see an 80% chance of ‘go’ and a two-hour window, I feel pretty good about our chances.”
Meet the crew of Artemis II
The four astronauts preparing to lift off today are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They will be the first crew members to launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule.
If that’s cause for any trepidation, the astronauts haven’t let it show.
From left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Josh Valcarcel / NASA
“The four of us, we are ready to go. The team is ready to go. The vehicle is ready to go,” Wiseman said Sunday in a media briefing from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
NASA selected the four astronauts in 2023. Wiseman will be the flight’s commander, with Glover serving as pilot and Koch and Hansen as mission specialists.
The three NASA astronauts are all spaceflight veterans, but Hansen will make his spaceflight debut. He will also hold the distinction of being the first Canadian to venture toward the moon.
Advice from an Apollo 17 astronaut
If anyone can offer advice to the four NASA astronauts slated to launch today on a trip around the moon, it’s Harrison Schmitt.
Astronaut Harrison Schmitt in 1972. Eugene A. Cernan / NASA
Schmitt, 90, left his boot prints on the lunar surface in 1972, as part of Apollo 17 — the final mission in the program, which was the last time humans traveled to the moon.
“Every day, every hour, every minute, is a new experience,” Schmitt said of his experience.
Former NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt. NBC News
As for what he’d tell the Artemis II crew: “Make sure that you’ve got your training down pat. Be ready for anything unexpected, but have a great time. Enjoy it.”
Happy launch day!
Launch day for NASA’s Artemis II mission is finally here. The long-awaited flight will send four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover of NASA and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — on a 10-day journey around Earth and the moon.
The Artemis II crew will not land on the lunar surface, but the mission could notch several other milestones: It will be the first time astronauts have launched toward the moon in more than 50 years, and it will be the first time NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket and Orion spacecraft carry humans. And as the crew members swing around the moon, they could venture farther from Earth than any humans ever have before.
Follow along as we cover all the action leading up to a targeted liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. ET.
