NASA said<\/a>. The agency did not indicate any change to the launch schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNASA is set to launch Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a two-hour window opening at 6:24 p.m. EDT. Backup launch opportunities extend through April 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technicians also completed closure of the launch abort system hatch, one of the final major milestones before liftoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“With the hatch secured, Orion enters its final configuration for liftoff, marking one of the last major milestones before fueling and launch,” NASA said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mission will send four astronauts aboard Orion on a roughly 10-day lunar flyby, making it NASA\u2019s first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo and the first human trip around the moon in more than 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flight is expected to test whether the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft can perform as intended with astronauts on board, including deep-space life support, communications and crew operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n