NASA prepares for Artemis II crew launch as astronauts enter final countdown
With just over 24 hours to go, NASA is making final preparations for the Artemis II mission — the agency’s first crewed flight aboard the Orion spacecraft in more than 50 years. Live images from the Kennedy Space Center show a calm launch pad on Florida’s coast, but behind the scenes, the four astronauts are in quarantine, completing final checks and saying their last goodbyes to family. The mission will send the crew on a 10‑day journey around the moon and back, marking a major step toward returning humans to lunar exploration.