Artemis II crew could make history today with moon mission

NASA's Artemis II crew is scheduled to launch Wednesday on a mission to the moon that would mark the first crewed lunar voyage since the Apollo program ended in 1972. The mission represents a major milestone in the space agency's effort to return humans to the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence there as a stepping stone to Mars exploration. A successful launch would demonstrate that NASA's newly developed Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft are ready for deep-space missions carrying astronauts. The crew will travel to lunar orbit, orbit the moon, and return to Earth without landing, serving as a critical test run before a planned landing mission. This mission is central to NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and person of color on the moon.