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BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - NASA is making final preparations for the historic Artemis II mission, its first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years.
The mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the moon and back.
NASA is targeting April 1 for the launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion capsule, which will be home for the astronauts during their journey.
Artemis II is currently sitting on the pad at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. It returned to the pad on March 20 after making a four-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building following repairs.
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Artemis II crew arrives in Florida
With less than a week to go until the mission, the Artemis II crew arrives in Florida on Friday.
The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
They arrive at Kennedy Space Center after completing their pre-flight quarantine in Houston, Texas.
A news conference with the crew will be held at 2:30 p.m. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Canadian Space Agency president Lisa Campbell will also attend.
While in space, astronauts will live in the 16.5-foot-wide Orion capsule. During the flyby, astronauts will observe and photograph the moon, which will provide vital data for future moon missions.
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Artemis III and beyond
Following Artemis II, NASA will then practice uncrewed lunar landing procedures with the Artemis III mission next year. It will involve launching a lander, built by SpaceX or Blue Origin, to low-Earth orbit for tests.
Originally, the Artemis III mission was going to have astronauts land on the moon in 2028. But last month Isaacman announced changes to the program such as additional missions to address concerns over setbacks.
With the changes, NASA now plans to have astronauts land on the moon with the Artemis IV mission in early 2028. Two astronauts will spend a week near the moon's south pole, collecting data and samples.
The Source: This story was written with information released by NASA and from previous FOX 35 reporting.