Artemis II Moon Mission: NASA's Crewed Test Flight Set for April 1 Launch

• NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed test flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 pm EDT from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
• Four astronauts will embark on a loop around the Moon, with Christina Koch becoming the first woman to travel to lunar distance and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen the first non-American on a Moon mission.
• The mission aims to rehearse and verify system safety with real astronauts before the Artemis III lunar landing later this decade; the crew will not land on the Moon this time.
• Live coverage for Indian viewers begins around 3:50 am IST on April 2 via NASA's official YouTube channel and NASA+ streaming platform.
• Artemis II is a crucial step towards NASA's goal of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon, particularly near the water-rich south pole.