{"id":575627,"date":"2026-04-01T17:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/575627\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:54:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:54:14","slug":"the-artemis-ii-launch-work-is-underway-now-by-nasa-heres-the-latest-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/575627\/","title":{"rendered":"The Artemis II launch work is underway now by NASA. Here\u2019s the latest – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA<\/a> is getting ready for its first lunar space flight mission since the Apollo missions over 50 years ago, with work underway to fuel the rocket that will blast astronauts into space within hours.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe launch team at @NASAKennedy are GO to begin filling the Artemis II rocket with fuel,\u201d NASA said Wednesday morning in a post on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeams at @NASAKennedy have begun slowly filling the Artemis II rocket with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. This process begins slowly \u2014and then picks up speed \u2014 in order to prevent the supercold propellants from damaging the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The launch team at @NASAKennedy<\/a> are GO to begin filling the Artemis II rocket with fuel.<\/p>\n

The official launch broadcast begins at 12:50pm ET (1650 UTC). Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 6:24 pm ET (2224 UTC). Tanking coverage can be found here: https:\/\/t.co\/VVJqQrRz4a<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tFoKsKxOvX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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Teams at @NASAKennedy<\/a> have begun slowly filling the Artemis II rocket with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. <\/p>\n

This process begins slowly \u2014and then picks up speed \u2014 in order to prevent the supercold propellants from damaging the system.<\/p>\n

\u2014 NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The fueling process for the Artemis II rocket has picked up speed. The rocket is now more quickly filling with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.<\/p>\n

When the core stage is completely full, it will contain 196,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen. pic.twitter.com\/wejiCveeNb<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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Those fuelling efforts are now picking up speed, NASA said shortly after 9 a.m. eastern.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rocket is now more quickly filling with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen,\u201d officials said. \u201cWhen the core stage is completely full, it will contain 196,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four crew members will take off Wednesday evening on the Orion spacecraft, with the earliest two-hour launch window for the\u00a0Artemis II mission<\/a> being targeted for no earlier than 6:24 p.m. eastern<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NASA has stated that the weather forecast for launch day shows an 80 per cent chance of favourable weather conditions, with primary concerns being \u201ccumulus clouds, ground winds, and solar weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 10-day mission is expected to take humans the farthest they\u2019ve ever gone before in space.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tWhat is the Artemis II mission?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

According to NASA<\/a>, Artemis II\u2019s goal is to \u201cprove Orion\u2019s life support systems are ready to sustain crew on future missions and allow the crew to practice operations essential to the success of Artemis III and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While the crew won\u2019t be landing on the moon, they will be flying around it and travelling roughly 250,000 miles into space, just surpassing the previous record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970. The spacecraft will also travel approximately 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the moon.<\/p>\n

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From the crew\u2019s location, the moon will look about \u201cthe size of a basketball held at arm\u2019s length.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinal preparations underway for Artemis II moon mission\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

While still close to Earth, the crew will also be assessing the performance of the life support systems necessary to generate breathable air, alongside continuing to \u201cevaluate the spacecraft\u2019s systems, including practicing emergency procedures, testing the radiation shelter, taking part in science experiments, and making observations of the Moon from a closer vantage point than human eyes have had in more than 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Spaulding<\/a>, test director with the NASA Exploration Ground Systems program, said\u00a0in a press conference<\/a> Tuesday that the crew is in \u201cgreat spirits\u201d ahead of the launch.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think everyone\u2019s pretty excited and understands the significance of this launch,\u201d he said. \u201cOur team has been working amazingly hard these past few weeks and months trying to get this vehicle ready to where it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are excited, and ready to go on this first chapter on our way back to the moon since the 1970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tWhat is the goal of the Artemis program?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

NASA states that the Artemis missions \u201cwill allow astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and help build momentum for the first crewed missions to Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artemis II is the second of four missions of the Artemis program. Artemis I was an uncrewed mission that launched on Nov. 19, 2022, and lasted 25 days and flew twice around the moon.<\/p>\n

The uncrewed aircraft travelled approximately 1.4 million miles, providing the groundwork needed for Artemis II to take off.<\/p>\n

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Through the first two missions, NASA is aiming with Artemis III<\/a> to launch crew in the Orion spacecraft \u201cto test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and the private commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.\u201d The mission is set to take off in 2027.<\/p>\n

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Artemis IV, the final instalment of the mission, is set to mark humanity\u2019s return to the lunar surface in early 2028.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tWho is the crew onboard Artemis II?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Part of the crew of astronauts making the trip is Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen of London, Ont., who becomes the first Canadian and non-American<\/a> on such a mission. He will serve as a mission specialist.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Space Agency from King Charles III ahead of the expected launch.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI know that Canada\u2019s participation in this bold mission reflects decades of dedicated leadership and sustained investments in space innovation, as well as the strength of international partnerships that make such endeavours possible,\u201d the statement from the King reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hansen posted a video to his Instagram account<\/a> Wednesday morning, providing a message for Canadians ahead of the launch.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada, I am thinking of you, and I am hoping that all of you see your greatness reflected in this journey around the moon,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m just so proud of all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenni Gibbons of Calgary will serve as Hansen\u2019s backup in the event he can\u2019t fly. She has gone through years of the same training as those on the rocket and during the mission, Gibbons will serve as a voice link to space from Earth.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeremy Hansen poised to make lunar history for Canada with upcoming Artemis Mission\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

California native Victor Glover is the mission\u2019s pilot, previously serving as the pilot of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station as part of Expedition 64.<\/p>\n

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Reid Wiseman has been assigned as the mission\u2019s commander. He flew previously as a flight engineer on the International Station for Expedition 41 from May to November 2014, logging more than 165 days in space.<\/p>\n

Christina Koch is serving as a mission specialist on the flight. She set a record for the longest single space flight by a woman, with 328 days in space, while also participating in the first-ever all-female spacewalks in 2019.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tVariety of Canadian foods heading to space\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The Canadian Space Agency has provided a list of Canadian foods<\/a> Hansen will be eating throughout his mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo remind him of home,<\/a> Jeremy will enjoy Canadian strawberry lavender superseed cereal, shrimp curry with rice, and natural wild keta salmon bites. But it would not be a true Canadian space meal without the\u00a0maple cream cookies\u00a0and\u00a0maple syrup\u00a0included in his menu!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Goldy\u2019s Strawberry lavender\u00a0superseed cereal originates from Etiobicoke, Ont., with Turkey Hill Sugarbush\u00a0Ltd.\u2019s maple cream cookies coming from Granby,\u00a0Que., and Happy Yak\u2019s shrimp curry with rice from Cowansville,\u00a0Que.<\/p>\n

Citadelle Maple Syrup Producers\u2019 Cooperative\u2019s 100 per cent pure maple syrup comes from Plessisville,\u00a0Que., and SeaChange Seafoods originates from Heriot Bay,\u00a0B.C.<\/p>\n

\u2014 with files from Global\u2019s Aaron D\u2019Andrea and The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

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