NASA's Artemis II crew—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—is in quarantine at Kennedy Space Center, with the Space Launch System rocket returned to the pad after repairs. Launch opportunities open as early as April 1 for the first human lunar trip since 1972, featuring a flyby of the moon's far side.
Building on prior updates including the February wet dress rehearsal that detected small fuel leaks—leading to a brief return to the Vehicle Assembly Building for fixes—the core stage is now stacked on Launch Complex 39B. This follows the successful uncrewed Artemis I in 2022 and years of delays from the original 2019 target.
Wiseman told reporters on March 29: "This is the first time that we’re loading humans on board. The four of us, we are ready to go, the team is ready to go, the vehicle is ready to go, but not for one second do we have an expectation that we are going. We will go when this vehicle tells us it’s ready."
Backup launch windows follow April 1-6 in late April and May if needed. The 10-day mission will test the Orion capsule's systems during the lunar loop.
