Artemis II countdown begins as NASA prepares for crewed Moon flyby

NASA is preparing to send astronauts around the Moon, with the Artemis II mission countdown set to begin tonight.

The launch of the enormous Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is scheduled for April 1, with a two-hour launch window opening at 22:24 UTC. The countdown is set to start this evening, with the launch team arriving at their stations at L-49 hours, 50 minutes and the countdown beginning at L-49 hours, 40 minutes.

The rocket and spacecraft will then be prepared for launch, with propellant loading beginning at around L-9 hours, 55 minutes. At the four-hour mark, the crew is strapped into the Orion capsule and, if all goes to plan, at T-6.36 seconds, the RS-25 engines start up, followed by the solid rocket boosters, and humans will be headed toward the Moon for the first time in more than half a century.

After dealing with leaks identified ...