HOUSTON: Artemis II astronauts expressed awe on Saturday over their record-setting lunar flyby mission, urging unity on Earth after witnessing the planet&#39;s isolation like a &quot;lifeboat&quot; in space.&nbsp;The crew spoke at a news conference as NASA took a victory lap following the success of the mission.&nbsp;The astronauts did the first slingshot around the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled deeper into space than any humans before -- culminating in a smooth splashdown Friday off the coast of California.&nbsp;Flanked on stage by mission commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen, astronaut Christina Koch called for people on Earth to embrace their shared humanity.&nbsp;&quot;What struck me wasn&#39;t necessarily just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe,&quot; said Koch.&nbsp;&quot;There&#39;s one new thing I know and that is: Planet Earth -- you are a crew.&quot;&nbsp;Hansen called on fans of the Artemis mission to see themselves in the crew of four, who marked a series of milestones: Glover was the first person of color to fly around the Moon, Koch was the first woman, and Canadian Hansen the first non-American.&nbsp;&quot;I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you&#39;re not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you,&quot; Hansen said.&nbsp;&quot;And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.&quot;&nbsp;While hurtling through deep space and zipping around the Moon, the Artemis astronauts took thousands of photographs, amassing a stunning portfolio of images.&nbsp;They also witnessed a solar eclipse along with extraordinary meteorite strikes on the lunar surface.&nbsp;&quot;Artemis II will always be remembered. It was the moment we all saw the moon again, where childhood dreams became missions. You helped the world start believing again, and this is something no one&#39;s ever going to forget,&quot; NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said.&nbsp;Artemis II was the inaugural crewed mission of NASA&#39;s program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon, including the eventual construction of a base that could be used for further exploration including to Mars.&nbsp;NASA is hoping it can put boots on the lunar surface as soon as 2028.

Artificial Intelligence

Artemis II astronauts praised Earth as a fragile “lifeboat” after their historic lunar flyby, urging unity. The mission set milestones, captured stunning images, and marked a key step toward NASA’s goal of returning humans to the Moon by 2028.

 Artemis crew urges unity on 'lifeboat' Earth

WASHINGTON: With Artemis II successfully completing its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/artemis-2-extraordinary-views-of-home-as-astronauts-head-towards-moon" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">historic lunar mission</a>&nbsp;on Friday, NASA is banking on billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for the next step: landing astronauts on the Moon. The Apollo program &ndash; which sent the first and only humans to the Moon&#39;s surface between 1969 and 1972 &ndash; was designed so that only two astronauts could land on the lunar surface for a maximum of a few days. More than 50 years later, American ambitions and expertise have grown, with NASA hoping to send four people on a mission lasting several weeks and eventually building a lunar base. For the second phase of its mission, the space agency is looking to commercial landers designed by Musk&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/nasa-to-bring-spacex-crew11-back-early-over-medical-concern" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">SpaceX</a>&nbsp;and Bezos&#39;s Blue Origin to get its astronauts on the Moon. After Artemis II&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/artemis-ii-astronauts-descend-into-earths-atmosphere-in-critical-heat-shield-test" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">splashed down in the Pacific Ocean</a>&nbsp;on Friday after its record-breaking journey, NASA officials urged all hands on deck for a crewed landing in 2028. &quot;We need all of industry to work and come along with us, and they need to accept that challenge and come with us and really start the production lines that are going to be required in order to achieve that goal,&quot; Lori Glaze, the acting associate NASA administrator, told a press conference. The Apollo program relied on a single rocket, the Saturn V, which carried both the lunar lander and the capsule carrying the astronauts. NASA has opted for two separate systems for Artemis: the first to launch the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew from Earth, and another to launch the lunar lander, which will be privately contracted. &#39;Camping trip&#39; The decision was driven by the technical limitations of the Apollo program, Kent Chojnacki, a senior NASA official in charge of lunar lander development, told AFP. &quot;It was very not expandable to long-term exploration and long-term stays,&quot; he explained. Although spectacular, the Apollo missions were like &quot;camping trips,&quot; said Jack Kiraly, director of government relations at the Planetary Society, which encourages space exploration. The systems NASA is looking at now are &quot;huge compared to Apollo,&quot; said Chojnacki, noting that the new lunar landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX are two to seven times larger than before. The space agency is also drawing from external partners, such as the European companies that built the propulsion module for Orion. The new approach opens access to more equipment and resources, but also significantly complicates operations. To send these giant spacecrafts to the Moon, the private space exploration companies will need to master in-flight refueling, a complex maneuver that has not yet been fully tested. After the lunar lander is launched, additional rockets will be needed to deliver the fuel required for the journey to the Moon, some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth. &#39;Lose the Moon&#39; Given this risky undertaking and the numerous delays &ndash; particularly those experienced by SpaceX that was supposed to have its lander ready first &ndash; pressure has mounted in recent months. &quot;We are once again about to lose the Moon,&quot; three former NASA officials warned in an article in SpaceNews last September. China, which is hoping to send humans to the Moon by 2030, has been making progress as well, raising fears in the Trump administration that the United States could get left behind. With that in mind, NASA raised the possibility last fall of reopening the contract awarded to SpaceX and using Blue Origin&#39;s lunar lander first, sending shockwaves through the rival companies. Both firms announced they were realigning their strategies to prioritize the lunar project &ndash; and keep their lucrative contracts with NASA. But concerns remain, particularly regarding the feasibility of in-orbit refueling. &quot;We do have a plan,&quot; Chojnacki said, noting that NASA has a back-up plan in case of failure. The timeline is also up in the air. NASA says it plans to test an in-orbit rendezvous between the spacecraft and one or two lunar landers in 2027, and carry out a crewed lunar landing in 2028. Before that, companies will need to test in-orbit refueling and send an unmanned lunar lander to the Moon to demonstrate its safety. That all needs to happen within the next two years. &quot;It feels like a very small amount of time,&quot; said Clayton Swope of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

This handout picture released by NASA on April 10, 2026 and taken on April 6, 2026 shows an image of Earthset captured by the Artemis II crew as they pass behind the Moon’s far side. (AFP)

NASA is turning to SpaceX and Blue Origin for upcoming Artemis Moon landings after Artemis II, aiming for a 2028 crewed landing while relying on commercial lunar landers and new technology development.

After Artemis II, NASA looks to SpaceX, Blue Origin for moon landings

SAN DIEGO:&nbsp;The NASA spacecraft carrying four astronauts splashed down as planned Friday off the California coast, capping the US space agency&#39;s successful crewed test mission around the Moon, the first such flyby in more than 50 years.&nbsp;Mission commander Reid Wiseman reported that the crewmembers -- himself along with Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen -- were &quot;stable&quot; and &quot;green.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;They&#39;re in great condition, that&#39;s what that means,&quot; said Rob Navias, the NASA public affairs official who narrated their return on the agency&#39;s livestream.&nbsp;Following a brief but nerve-wracking communications blackout during their high-stakes re-entry, mission commander Wiseman&#39;s voice triggered relief that the astronauts were well on their way back home.&nbsp;&quot;Houston. Integrity. We have you loud and clear,&quot; he said following a voice check from mission control.&nbsp;NASA and the US military will now help them leave the bobbing capsule, after which they will be flown to a recovery ship off the Pacific coast near San Diego.&nbsp;As the astronauts returned to Earth their spacecraft reached maximum speeds more than 30 times the speed of sound, and faced searing temperatures around half as hot as the surface of the Sun. It was a key test of their heat shield, which in an earlier trial mission had faced complications.&nbsp;But the Artemis II re-entry went off without a hitch.&nbsp;&quot;This was a textbook entry and a textbook touchdown,&quot; said Navias.

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts re-entered Earth’s atmosphere after a 10-day Moon mission, testing their heat shield. The crew experienced a brief communication blackout before an expected splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Artemis II astronauts return to Earth, capping historic Moon mission

HOUSTON: The four astronauts embarking on NASA&#39;s lunar flyby became on Monday the humans to travel furthest from our planet, as they get set to view areas of the Moon never before seen by the naked eye. The Artemis II team broke the previous record set by 1970&#39;s Apollo 13 mission, which they are expected to surpass by approximately 4,105 miles (6,606 kilometers) when they reach this journey&#39;s furthest distance from Earth -- 252,760 miles (406,778 kilometers) -- later today. The astronauts are journeying around the Moon for a monumental flyby, in which they&#39;ll spend more than six hours analyzing and documenting lunar surface features. The NASA mission had swept earlier into the Moon&#39;s gravitational sphere of influence, meaning their spacecraft is in the natural satellite&#39;s neighborhood, with lunar gravity outmuscling Earth&#39;s pull. The Orion capsule is zipping around the Moon before U-turning and heading back to Earth in a so-called &quot;free-return trajectory,&quot; a return-trip that will take about four days. The astronauts began their landmark day with a message from the late Jim Lovell, who took part in the Apollo 8 and 13 missions and recorded the message shortly before his death. &quot;It&#39;s a historic day, and I know how busy you&#39;ll be, but don&#39;t forget to enjoy the view,&quot; the Artemis astronauts heard from Lovell. &quot;Welcome to my old neighborhood,&quot; he said. &quot;I&#39;m proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the Moon.&quot; Swooping around the far side of the Moon, the crew of four will witness previously hidden lunar territory -- the sphere looming large through their capsule windows. The Moon will appear to the astronauts &quot;about the size of a basketball held at arm&#39;s length,&quot; Noah Petro, head of the US space agency&#39;s planetary geology lab, told AFP. Adding to the historic nature of the mission led by Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II crew includes several firsts. Victor Glover will be the first person of color to fly around the Moon, Christina Koch will be the first woman, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen the first non-American. There will be a period of around 40 minutes during the flyby where all communication with Artemis II will be cut off as the astronauts pass behind the Moon. &quot;It&#39;ll be exciting, you know, in a slightly scary way, when they go behind the moon,&quot; Derek Buzasi, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago, told AFP. Human eye vs cameraThe astronauts have already started seeing features never previously glimpsed directly. An image sent back by the crew showed the Moon&#39;s Orientale basin visible, a massive crater that before had only been viewed by orbiting, uncrewed cameras. Near the end of their flyby, the astronauts will witness a solar eclipse, when the Sun will be behind the Moon. Despite the technological advancements since the Apollo era, NASA still relies on the eyesight of its astronauts to learn more about the Moon. &quot;The human eye is basically the best camera that could ever or will ever exist,&quot; Kelsey Young, the lead scientist for the Artemis II mission, told AFP. &quot;The number of receptors in the human eye far outweighs what a camera is able to do.&quot; And while the Orion crew will still be at a substantial distance from the Moon, their flyby is key to preparing for a later crewed mission to the planet&#39;s surface itself. &quot;We&#39;re going to learn an awful lot about the spacecraft,&quot; NASA administrator Jared Isaacman told CNN on Sunday. The information will be &quot;pretty paramount to set up for subsequent missions like Artemis III in 2027 and, of course, the lunar landing itself on Artemis IV in 2028,&quot; he added.

NASA’s Artemis II crew becomes the farthest-traveling humans from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13 as they conduct a historic flyby of the Moon and observe previously unseen lunar regions.

'Historic day': Artemis astronauts break space distance record

HOUSTON: The four Artemis astronauts have passed the halfway point between Earth and the Moon on the way to their planned lunar flyby, NASA said on Friday evening. &quot;You are now closer to the moon than you are to us on Earth,&quot; mission control told the astronauts at around 11 pm (0400 GMT), according to the space agency&#39;s official live broadcast. &quot;We all kind of had a collective, I guess, expression of joy at that... We can see the Moon out of the docking hatch right now, it is a beautiful sight,&quot; said astronaut Christina Koch replied. The milestone was hit around two days, five hours and 24 minutes after liftoff, according to the NASA official broadcast. The US space agency&#39;s online dashboard showed that the Orion spacecraft carrying the astronauts is now more than 219,000 kilometers (136,080 miles) from Earth. &quot;We&#39;re halfway there,&quot; NASA posted on social media. The spacecraft&#39;s next milestone will be entering the lunar sphere of influence, set to take place on day five of the flight, according to NASA. The astronauts -- Americans Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Canadian Jeremy Hansen -- are now on a &quot;free-return&quot; trajectory, which uses the Moon&#39;s gravity to slingshot around it before heading back towards Earth without propulsion.

The four Artemis astronauts have passed the halfway point between Earth and the Moon on the way to their planned lunar flyby, NASA said on Friday evening.

Artemis astronauts pass half-way point on way to Moon

HOUSTON: As Artemis 2 astronauts forged ahead Friday on their lunar mission, NASA released initial images taken from inside the Orion spacecraft, including a full portrait of Earth featuring its deep blue oceans and billowing clouds. After a flurry of high-stakes activity including a dramatic blast-off and an engine firing that catapulted them on their historic trajectory to circle the Moon, the four astronauts aboard were able to catch their breath, even as they continued to perform a variety of equipment checks and tests. &quot;There has been a tremendous amount of disbelief for me, it&#39;s just so extraordinary,&quot; said Canadian Jeremy Hansen during a Q&amp;A session with press late Thursday. &quot;I really like it up here,&quot; said Hansen, on his first ever journey to space. &quot;The views are extraordinary.&quot; &quot;It&#39;s really fun to be floating around&quot; in zero gravity, he added. &quot;It just makes me feel like a little kid.&quot; Hansen is on the crew with Americans Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman. They are due to loop around the Moon early next week &ndash; a feat not accomplished in more than 50 years. NASA official Lakiesha Hawkins praised the photographs taken by commander Wiseman, calling them &quot;amazing&quot; during a briefing Friday. &quot;We continue to learn all about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time,&quot; Hawkins said. &quot;It&#39;s important to remind ourselves of that as we learn a little bit more day by day. &#39;Great spirits&#39; Friday&#39;s to-do list includes a CPR demonstration and medical kit checks, the US space agency said, as well as preparation for the scientific observations they&#39;ll need to document when they are closest to the Moon on day six of their journey. NASA officials reported Friday that all systems were performing well, and that the astronauts were in &quot;great spirits&quot; and had spoken to their families. The next major milestone of the approximately 10-day journey is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, at which point the astronauts will enter the &quot;lunar sphere of influence&quot; &ndash; when the Moon&#39;s gravity will have stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth&#39;s. If all proceeds smoothly, as Orion whips around the Moon the astronauts could set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before. &quot;There is nothing normal about this,&quot; said mission commander Wiseman late Thursday. &quot;Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realizing the gravity of that.&quot; The Artemis 2 mission is part of a longer-term plan to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent lunar base that will offer a platform for further exploration.

This handout picture provided by NASA shows Earth as seen through the Orion spacecraft’s window, photographed by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander of Artemis II, on April 2, 2026, after completing the translunar injection burn. (AFP)

Artemis 2 astronauts, including Canada's Jeremy Hansen, share stunning Earth views from Orion spacecraft en route to loop the Moon—first crewed flyby in more than five decades. 

Artemis 2: 'Extraordinary' views of home as astronauts head towards Moon

UNITED STATES: NASA gave the four Artemis astronauts circling Earth the green light on Thursday to head for the Moon and carry out the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.&nbsp;NASA Flight Director Jeff Radigan told the astronauts the mission management team had approved firing up the engine of their Orion capsule to send the spacecraft on a trajectory towards the Moon.&nbsp;The 5min and 49sec burn is scheduled to take place at 7:49 pm Eastern Time (2349 GMT) and send the astronauts out of Earth orbit to begin the three-day voyage toward the Moon, the first since 1972.&nbsp;&quot;Flight controllers will closely monitor engine performance, guidance, and navigation data throughout the maneuver to ensure Orion remains precisely aligned for the outbound journey,&quot; NASA said.&nbsp;The enormous orange-and-white Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion capsule blasted off flawlessly from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday for the long-anticipated journey around the Moon.&nbsp;The astronauts -- Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen -- spent their first hours in space performing checks and troubleshooting minor problems -- including a communications issue and a malfunctioning toilet.&nbsp;Before getting a few hours of sleep, they ignited the spacecraft&#39;s main engine to place it in a high Earth orbit, the US space agency said.&nbsp;&quot;Artemis II astronauts are doing great,&quot; NASA chief Jared Isaacman said in a post on X. &quot;The Orion spacecraft is performing well in an impressive elliptical orbit.&quot;&nbsp;Orion is to loop around the Moon as part of the 10-day Artemis 2 mission aimed at paving the way for a Moon landing in 2028.

NASA approves the Artemis II astronauts to travel toward the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, as their spacecraft begins the journey.

NASA gives Artemis crew green light to head towards Moon

UNITED STATES:&nbsp;&nbsp;Four astronauts launched aboard a massive NASA rocket on Wednesday, embarking on a long-anticipated journey around the Moon. This marks the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.&nbsp;With an intense roar that reverberated far beyond the launchpad, the enormous orange-and-white rocket carried three Americans and one Canadian away from Florida&#39;s Kennedy Space Center at approximately 6:35 p.m. local time.&nbsp;During final checks before Artemis 2 was deemed a go for launch, astronauts gave brief words: &quot;We are going for all humanity,&quot; said the Canadian aboard, Jeremy Hansen.&nbsp;Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson then addressed the astronauts directly.&nbsp;&quot;Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy: On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation. Good luck. God speed Artemis 2. Let&#39;s go,&quot; she said.&nbsp;The team, who donned bright orange suits with blue trim as they blasted off, includes Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Hansen.&nbsp;&quot;We have a beautiful moonrise. We&#39;re headed right at it,&quot; said Wiseman, the mission commander.&nbsp;Shortly after launch, they successfully entered Earth&#39;s orbit, where they will remain while performing various checks to ensure the reliability and safety of a spacecraft that has never carried humans before.&nbsp;They will also test its manual piloting capabilities during docking simulations.&nbsp;If all goes well, they are expected to venture forth on Thursday on a loop around the Moon, which should take about three days.&nbsp;The voyage should last approximately 10 days.&nbsp;&quot;This was amazing,&quot; said Sian Proctor, an American scientist who participated in a 2021 space mission and ventured to Florida&#39;s Space Coast, where local authorities said around 400,000 people were watching.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m just so happy that we&#39;re going back to the Moon, and everybody should be excited and be following the next 10 days, because this is a big step for humanity,&quot; Proctor said.&nbsp;The flight is to pave the way for a Moon landing in 2028.

NASA's Artemis 2 mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, carrying three Americans and one Canadian on the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years.

NASA's Artemis 2 crewed lunar mission takes off

KENNEDY: Four astronauts are set to embark Wednesday 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 2 has been years in the making after facing repeated setbacks and massive cost overruns, but is finally scheduled to take off from Florida as early as 6:24 p.m. (2224 GMT). Under bright Florida sunshine, the rocket&rsquo;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&rsquo;s nearest celestial neighbor without landing &mdash; much like Apollo 8 did in 1968. The journey marks a series of historic accomplishments: it will send the first person of color, the first woman and the first non-American on a lunar mission. It is also the inaugural crewed flight of NASA&rsquo;s new lunar rocket, dubbed SLS. The mammoth orange-and-white rocket is designed to allow the United States to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will offer a platform for further exploration. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a stepping stone to Mars, where we might have the most likelihood of finding evidence of past life, but it&rsquo;s also a Rosetta Stone for how other solar systems form,&rdquo; Koch told reporters on the weekend. Repeated setbacksThe 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. As of Tuesday afternoon, NASA officials voiced confidence that engineering operations and final preparations were proceeding smoothly. If Wednesday&rsquo;s launch is canceled or delayed, there are more liftoff opportunities through Monday, although weather later in the week was looking slightly less favorable. Melinda Schuerfranz, a retiree from Ohio, traveled to Florida for the launch. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking forward to it, we&rsquo;ve never seen anything like this,&rdquo; 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&rsquo;s more fragmented media environment.&ldquo;I think it was way more exciting then,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Everybody tuned into it.&rdquo; &lsquo;Astronauts for Halloween&rsquo; Artemis is facing pressure from President Donald Trump, who has pushed the pace of the ambitious program that&rsquo;s aiming to see boots hit the lunar surface before his second term ends in early 2029. Artemis 2&rsquo;s objectives include verifying that both the rocket and the spacecraft are in working order in the hopes of 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&rsquo;s technological headway. The astronauts will require a second vehicle to descend to the moon&rsquo;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. For NASA head Jared Isaacman, it&rsquo;s a multi-pronged pursuit related to scientific discovery, national security and economic opportunity &mdash; as well as some less tangible goals. &ldquo;I guarantee after these astronauts fly around the moon, you&rsquo;re going to have more kids dressing up as astronauts for Halloween,&rdquo; Isaacman said during a recent television interview. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s going to inspire the next generation to take us further.&rdquo;

Americas

After repeated setbacks, NASA prepares Artemis 2 launch sending four astronauts around Moon, first crewed mission since 1972, testing SLS rocket, advancing lunar base plans, inspiring exploration, despite delays, costs, and global competition with China.

NASA’s Moon flyby mission primed for launch

CAPE CANAVERAL: NASA began its two-day countdown Monday ahead of what is slated to be its first crewed moonshot in more than half a century, a long-anticipated loop around Earth&#39;s satellite that is to pave the way for future exploration.&nbsp;The first window to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida opens Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 pm (2224 GMT), and NASA officials said the countdown began at 4:44 pm.&nbsp;&quot;The vehicle is ready, the system is ready. The crew is ready,&quot; Amit Kshatriya, the US space agency&#39;s associate administrator, said in a briefing.&nbsp;&quot;Behind this flight stands a campaign,&quot; he continued, noting recently announced plans including constructing a lunar base.&nbsp;If Wednesday&#39;s launch is cancelled or delayed for any reason, there are more liftoff opportunities through April 6.&nbsp;As of Monday evening, NASA officials voiced confidence that engineering operations and final preparations were proceeding smoothly.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll fly when this hardware is ready,&quot; launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson told journalists.&nbsp;&quot;But certainly all indications are right now we are in excellent, excellent shape.&quot;&nbsp;The four astronauts set to carry out the Moon voyage -- Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch along with Canadian colleague Jeremy Hansen -- are in quarantine ahead of their journey.&nbsp;NASA officials said Monday evening that they would have the opportunity to have dinner with their families at a Florida beach house.&nbsp;Cloudy with a chance of historyThe odyssey will mark a series of firsts: the first time a woman, a person of color and a non-American will venture on a Moon mission.&nbsp;It is also the inaugural crewed flight of NASA&#39;s new lunar rocket, dubbed SLS.&nbsp;The mammoth orange-and-white rocket is designed to allow the United States to repeatedly return to the Moon in years to come, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will offer a stepping stone for further exploration.&nbsp;But getting it off the ground has not been simple. The Artemis 2 mission was originally due to take off as early as February but repeated setbacks stalled that goal and even necessitated rolling the rocket back to its hangar for analysis and repairs.&nbsp;And then there is the weather: as of Monday, NASA reported that the forecast shows &quot;an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Cloud coverage and potential for high winds on the ground&quot; were their primary concerns, the agency said.&nbsp;Teams are also monitoring solar weather.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m just gonna make an appeal to the space gods, okay?&quot; Kshatriya said to laughter on Monday.&nbsp;

NASA begins a two-day countdown for its April 1 Moon launch, with four astronauts, SLS rocket, final checks, and an 80% favorable weather forecast.

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