NASA Clears Artemis II for April 1 Moon-Orbit Launch

Overview

• NASA completed its flight review on March 12 and authorized continued prelaunch work targeting the April 1 liftoff.
• The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are scheduled to roll to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad on March 19.
• If the target date slips, teams have a six-day opportunity starting April 1, with the next window opening on April 30.
• Engineers corrected a helium-flow blockage in the upper stage by replacing a faulty seal and followed up with battery changes and system tests.
• The roughly 10-day flight will carry Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian Jeremy Hansen around the Moon in the first crewed use of SLS and Orion and the first venture beyond Earth orbit since 1972, with the crew currently in quarantine in Houston.