Artemis II launch: NASA counts down to most ambitious Moon mission in half a century

Four astronauts are set to embark on the first crewed journey around the Moon since 1972, an odyssey that aims to launch the US into a new era of space exploration.

The NASA mission dubbed Artemis II has been years in the making after facing repeated setbacks and massive cost overruns, but is finally scheduled to take off from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida as early as 2224 GMT on Wednesday.

Under bright Florida sunshine, the rocket's giant tanks started filling with liquid hydrogen and oxygen at 8:35 am.

The team featuring Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen, will set forth on the approximately 10-day mission and hurtle around Earth's nearest celestial neighbour without landing, much like Apollo 8 did in 1968.

The journey marks a series of historic accomplishments: it will send the first person of colour, the first woman, and the first non-American on a lunar mission.

It is also the inaugural crewed flight of NASA's new lunar rocket, dubbed SLS.

The mammoth orange-and-white rocket is designed to enable the United States to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will serve as a platform for further exploration.

"It's a stepping stone to Mars, where we might have the most likelihood of finding evidence of past life, but it's also a Rosetta Stone for how other solar systems form," Koch told reporters on the weekend.

Repeated setbacks  

The mission was originally due to take off as early as February.

But repeated setbacks stalled the mission and even necessitated rolling the rocket back to its hangar for analysis and repairs.

NASA officials have voiced confidence that engineering operations and final preparations were proceeding smoothly.

If Wednesday's launch is delayed, there are more liftoff opportunities through Monday, although weather later in the week was looking slightly less favourable.

Melinda Schuerfranz, a retiree from Ohio, traveled to Florida for the launch.

"We're looking forward to it, we've never seen anything like this," the 76-year-old swimsuit-clad beachgoer told AFP.

But Schuerfranz remembers the Apollo era, and thinks some of the magic might be lost in today's more fragmented media environment.

"I think it was way more exciting then," she said. "Everybody tuned into it." 

'Astronauts for Halloween'

Artemis is facing pressure from President Donald Trump, who has pushed the pace of the ambitious programme that's aiming to see boots hit the lunar surface before his second term ends in early 2029.

Artemis II's objectives include verifying that both the rocket and the spacecraft are in working order, paving the way for a Moon landing in 2028.

That deadline has raised eyebrows among experts, in part because Washington is relying on the private sector's technological headway.

The astronauts will require a second vehicle to descend to the Moon's surface, a lunar lander that remains under development by rival space companies owned by billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

This contemporary era of American lunar investment has frequently been portrayed as an effort in competition with China, which is currently aiming to land humans on the Moon by 2030.

While the astronauts will not land, at their closest, they will still be thousands of miles from the lunar surface.

Artemis II marks a crucial step toward returning humans to the Moon. The mission will test Orion, the spacecraft designed for deep-space travel, including life support and critical systems.

Future crews will transfer to landers built by SpaceX or Blue Origin to touch down, with NASA aiming for 2028.

Apollo 17 in December 1972 was the last time humans walked on the Moon. After the United States beat the Soviet Union in 1969, interest in lunar exploration faded and NASA’s budget shrank.

Since then, astronauts have stayed close to Earth, flying on shuttles and the International Space Station.

The Artemis programme was set toward the Moon during Trump’s first term and continued under President Biden. Artemis I, uncrewed, successfully flew to the Moon and back in 2022, clearing the path for the first crewed mission in over half a century.

For NASA head Jared Isaacman, it's a multi-pronged pursuit related to scientific discovery, national security and economic opportunity, as well as some less tangible goals.

"I guarantee after these astronauts fly around the Moon, you're going to have more kids dressing up as astronauts for Halloween," Isaacman said during a recent television interview.

"And that's going to inspire the next generation to take us further."