Excitement is rising as NASA is just days away from sending four astronauts on a trip around the moon.
On Wednesday, the space agency shared its schedule for coverage of the final buildup and main event, including a question-and-answer session with the astronauts this Friday, launch on Wednesday, April 1, and regular updates as the crew makes its way to the moon.
Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen, will leave the launch pad aboard an Orion spacecraft carried into the sky by NASA’s giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
They will spend several days in Earth orbit checking the spacecraft’s systems before heading to the moon. Rather than landing on the lunar surface, they fly around it on a journey that will take humans farther from Earth than at any time since the Apollo era more than five decades ago.
Below is a summary of events related to the upcoming Artemis II mission. All times are Eastern Time (ET):
Friday March 27th
2:30 p.m.: The Artemis II crew will arrive at the Kennedy Space Center for a question-and-answer session with the press. NASA chief Jared Isaacman will also be in attendance, along with Lisa Campbell, president of the CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
Sunday March 29th
9:30 a.m.: The Artemis II crew will spend some time answering more media questions, but this time virtually, from their quarantine facility.
2:00 p.m.: NASA officials associated with the mission will report on the status of preparations for launch of Artemis II.
Monday March 30th
5:00 p.m.: Following a key mission meeting, NASA will host a press conference to provide an update on the status of launch preparations.
Tuesday March 31st
1 p.m.: The space agency will hold a press conference on the countdown status before launch.
Wednesday, April 1st
7:45 a.m.: Coverage of fueling operations to load fuel into the SLS rocket begins on NASA+. The live stream will include various views of the rocket and commentator analysis.
12:50 p.m.: NASA+ begins the official livestream for the highly anticipated launch, scheduled to take place no earlier than 6:24 p.m. Post-launch coverage will continue on YouTube after Orion’s solar wings are stationed in space.
Approximately two and a half hours after launch and after the SLS rocket’s upper stage performs an ignition to propel Orion and its crew into low Earth orbit, NASA will hold a press conference to provide an update on the mission. The start time may change depending on the exact start time. In fact, the entire schedule could change depending on how final preparations progress. NASA will publish all developments on its X account.
For timing of daily updates throughout the mission, including live communications with the crew, see NASA’s full schedule.
