Live coverage: NASA to launch Artemis 2, its first Moon-bound mission with astronauts since 1972 - Spaceflight Now

NASA is preparing to launch Artemis 2, a crewed mission that will mark the agency's first journey to the Moon with astronauts aboard since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The mission represents a major milestone in NASA's lunar exploration program and is designed to test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for eventual human landings on the lunar surface. Artemis 2 will carry a crew in orbit around the Moon but will not land on the surface, serving as a crucial validation step before the subsequent Artemis 3 mission, which is intended to put astronauts back on the Moon. The launch comes as part of the broader Artemis program, which aims to establish sustained human presence on the Moon and provide a stepping stone for future Mars exploration. This mission represents a significant achievement in American spaceflight after more than five decades without crewed lunar missions.