NASA’s Artemis 2 Astronauts Brief Press Ahead of Moon Mission Update
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission is less than three days from its planned liftoff on April 1. The four astronauts remain in quarantine at Kennedy Space Center ahead of the moon mission update.
Upcoming briefings and live coverage
The crew will take questions in a virtual press briefing on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. EDT. A separate NASA status press conference follows at 2 p.m. EDT.
Filmogaz.com will carry live coverage of both events. Viewers can expect real-time mission updates and commentary.
Crew and mission profile
The Artemis 2 crew includes NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen completes the quartet.
The flight will send four astronauts on a roughly 10-day trip around the moon. The mission will conclude with an ocean splashdown back at Earth.
Launch date, time, and site
NASA is targeting April 1 for liftoff. The scheduled launch time is 6:24 p.m. EDT (2224 GMT).
The rocket will launch from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket and Orion crew capsule sit atop a Mobile Launch Platform.
Hardware and transport details
The Space Launch System stands about 322 feet tall. The combined stack weighs roughly 11 million pounds.
Ground teams use Crawler Transporter 2 to move the vehicle across four miles. The transfer path runs between the Vehicle Assembly Building and Pad 39B.
Key timeline and technical work
The SLS initially rolled to Pad 39B in mid-January. Engineers planned a wet dress rehearsal and fueling test in early February.
A helium flow issue in the rocket’s upper stage surfaced after a fueling test. That problem forced a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building for diagnosis and repairs.
NASA targeted Feb. 25 for the rollback, with first motion at about 9 a.m. EST. Technicians accessed upper-stage ports to address the helium flow concern.
Return to the pad and final preparations
After repairs, the Artemis 2 stack returned to Pad 39B in an overnight rollout on March 20. Teams then prepared ground systems and the Orion capsule for launch.
Additional checks included flight termination system battery work and upper-stage testing. Those steps cleared the way toward the April window.
Crew movements and quarantine
The astronauts entered quarantine at Johnson Space Center on March 18. They continued isolation at Kennedy Space Center beginning March 20.
The crew flew from Houston and arrived at KSC on March 27. Their scheduled touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility was near 2:30 p.m. EDT.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman offered remarks during the arrival broadcast. Final crew briefings and procedures followed at the launch site.
What to watch for next
Expect daily updates as teams close out final checks and rehearsals. NASA and mission leaders will provide status reports leading into April 1.
Filmogaz.com will publish live streams and concise mission updates. Follow those feeds for the latest from the Artemis 2 astronauts and the press ahead of the lunar mission.
