Artemis II launch live: Nasa astronauts suit up as final preparations begin for first crewed lunar mission in decades – UK Times

The four astronauts have donned their suits and are preparing to head to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch is scheduled to begin at 6:24 p.m. Eastern Time, about one hour before sunset.

It’s now less than half a day until the Nasa astronauts blast off to the Moon. (All being well; it could be delayed and it has been before, but the space agency says today is looking good so far.)

This image from the Italian space agency shows the rocket as it sits, waiting on its launchpad.

Here’s a full rundown of everything to know ahead of the launch tonight

The crew is made up of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

Koch already holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. During her 328-day mission at the International Space Station spanning 2019 and 2020, she took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

Glover, a Navy test pilot, was the first Black astronaut to live and work aboard the space station in 2020 and 2021. He also was one of the first astronauts to launch with SpaceX.

The Canadian Space Agency’s Hansen, a former fighter pilot, is the lone space rookie.

Their commander is Wiseman, a retired Navy captain who lived aboard the space station in 2014 and later headed NASA’s astronaut corps.

They range in age from 47 to 50.

King Charles has written to Canadian astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen, who will become the first non-American person ever to perform a lunar visit. (It is a mission of firsts: the crew will also include the first woman and the first person of colour.)

Here’s an extract from the letter. It makes heavy reference to the “Astra Carta”, a document launched by the King in 2023 to promote sustainability in space exploration.

“It is with immense pride and a profound sense of shared purpose that I write to you as you prepare to embark upon the Artemis II mission – the first crewed voyage beyond low Earth orbit since the dawn of the Space Age. As the first Canadian to venture to the Moon, you carry not only the hopes of your fellow Canadians and the Commonwealth, but also the aspirations of humanity itself.

In 2023, when I launched the Astra Carta at Buckingham Palace, I did so in the firm belief that our stewardship of the planet must now extend to the infinite wonders of the Universe. The Astra Carta urges us to navigate the celestial realms with wisdom, foresight and responsibility. Its fundamental principles are not mere aspirations; they are a solemn pledge to future generations. They remind us that the cosmos is not a frontier to be conquered, but a shared inheritance to be cherished and preserved.

As you orbit the Moon, you will carry these principles in the most literal and profound sense. In an age when humanity’s reach into the stars grows even bolder it is vital that the Moon remains a beacon of peaceful scientific discovery.

May the stars align in your favour, and may your safe return inspire countless others to uphold the values of sustainability, cooperation and wonder that the Astra Carta enshrines.”

The countdown clock at the launchpad is already ticking. Its progressing towards 6.24pm local time, or 11.24pm in the UK.

Nasa has a two-hour window, in the case of any problems. If it can’t make that window, then it has other opportunities through this week and into the weekend, and then at the end of the month.

The full mission will take 10 days, after which the spacecraft will drop back down into the ocean.

… to The Independent’s live coverage of Nasa’s mission to the Moon, Artemis II.