Manned Flight to the Moon After 50-Year Hiatus

The NASA 'Artemis II' lunar mission has returned to its scheduled timeline. Over the past two days, program leaders conducted final checks of the pre-launch preparations before the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are transported back to the launch pad.

According to NASA, the rocket rollout is planned for March 19, with a potential launch as early as April 1. The mission's start was previously scheduled for an earlier date, but issues arose during the first fueling test. A second attempt conducted in February was successful, but subsequent checks revealed a helium supply disruption in the upper stage of the rocket.

NASA notes that the disruption has been fully resolved, and a third fueling test will not be conducted. The next fueling will be done on the day of the launch. 'Artemis II' will become NASA's first crewed flight to the Moon after a break of more than 50 years. While 'Artemis I' tested the Orion systems without a crew in November 2022, the main goal of the new mission is to verify the spacecraft's capability to safely support a crew in deep space.