Humans return to moon after 50 years: NASA sets Artemis launch date
Photo: NASA announces launch date for Artemis (Getty Images)
NASA plans to send astronauts around the Moon on April 1, marking the first crewed mission to lunar orbit in over 50 years, Bloomberg reports.
The space agency announced the new target launch date after completing a technical readiness review for the mission.
However, NASA noted that some technical tasks still remain before liftoff.
"While I am comfortable and the agency is comfortable with targeting April 1 as our first opportunity, keep in mind we still have work to go," said NASA’s acting associate administrator of exploration systems development, Lori Glaze.
During the mission, four astronauts will complete a 10-day flight around the Moon. The crew will include NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The team will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket. After orbiting the Moon, the astronauts will return to Earth in the Orion capsule.
The mission is a key milestone in the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon’s surface and develop long-term lunar infrastructure.
NASA originally planned the launch for February but postponed it due to technical checks of the rocket fueling system.
Later, engineers also discovered an issue with helium delivery to the SLS rocket, requiring it to be returned from the launch pad to the hangar for repairs.
NASA now plans to return the rocket to the launch pad on March 19, where it will undergo final checks before liftoff.
