Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Ben Hatton and Freya Scott-Turner, with science editor Rebecca Morelle and science correspondent Pallab Ghosh at the launch site in Florida

  1. Weather forecast still 80% favourable - but Nasa will be watching these clouds closely

    Simon King
    BBC Weather

    While the weather forecast is still 80% favourable during the two-hour launch window, forecasters will still be closely monitoring the convective cloud - called cumulus - that has been developing over the last few hours to the east of Cape Canaveral and moving inland (circled on the satellite picture).

    There have also been a few showers in the area which would be a concern.

    If these cumulus clouds are still around at the start of the launch window, there’s a possibility that there could be a hold to the final countdown.

    However, they should start to disappear soon after sunset and into the evening during the two-hour window.

    A satellite image showing Florida with the launch site highlighted on the east coast - it's currently covered with patches of light cloudNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

  2. Why has it taken more than 50 years for Nasa to return to the Moon?

    Rebecca Morelle
    Science editor, reporting from the launch site

    International Space Station, pictured in 2011Getty Images

    The International Space Station in low-Earth orbit

    After its history-making lunar landings, the Apollo programme was cancelled in 1972.

    Costs had spiralled, priorities had changed.

    So attention shifted to a more budget-friendly destination: low-Earth orbit. And that’s been the focus for Nasa the last 50 years - starting with Skylab, then the Space Shuttle programme, and more recently the International Space Station.

    Nasa set the Moon in its sights again in 2005 with a programme called Constellation. But it was cancelled in 2010 because of delays and cost over-runs.

    But the technology developed for Constellation - namely the Orion spacecraft and the parts of the Constellation rockets - became incorporated into the Artemis programme, which formally began in 2017.

    A Moon landing was originally planned for 2024, but with delays to the Artemis programme, Nasa says it's aiming for a lunar landing in 2028.

  3. Listen: An audio odyssey into all things Artemis II

    If you're looking for a deep dive, the BBC's space podcast, 13 Minutes, has a series focusing on the Artemis II mission.

    It's just begun, with the first two episodes already available - and there will be daily updates focusing on the mission in the days ahead.

    You can listen now on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

  4. A closer look at the Artemis II mission

    The Visual Journalism Team
    BBC News

    The Artemis II crew will be the first humans to return to the Moon in more than 50 years, and the 10-day journey will take them further from Earth than anyone has been before.

    Although the four astronauts won’t land on the Moon's surface, they are hoping to bring a new understanding of the lunar environment and the mission will pave the way for a future landing.

    They take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and, once their rocket is about 70,000km (45,000 miles) above the planet, the Orion spacecraft - which houses the crew - will separate from the launcher and orbit the Earth.

    The astronauts must then decide whether to continue the mission - while they are close to Earth, getting back is relatively straightforward if there are any issues that cannot be fixed.

    If all is well, Orion will fire its main engine to blast free of the Earth’s gravity and set a path to the Moon.

    Graphic showing the Earth and the Moon, with the spacecraft’s figure of eight orbital trajectory highlighted. Specific points are labelled. These are: 1. Lift-off at the Kennedy Space Centre, 2. Orbit around the Earth, 3. Rocket separation, 4. Main engine fires to take spacecraft to the Moon, 5. Lunar fly-by, 6. Return to Earth, 7. Crew module separates, 8. Splashdown in Pacific Ocean

  5. Fuelling seems to be going well so far

    Rebecca Morelle
    Science editor, reporting from the launch site

    The fuelling seems to be going well so far – and there’s a sense of excitement but also calm here at the Kennedy Space Center.

    In previous tanking tests, the Artemis team had problems filling the rocket with liquid hydrogen.

    It’s an extremely small and light molecule, and has a tendency to leak from the smallest of gaps.

    But it hasn’t posed a problem so far.

    Both the core stage of the rocket and the upper stage are now 100% full of hydrogen – and the team are now finishing adding the liquid oxygen to the rocket to complete the tanking process.

    It has to be full before the astronauts can get onboard and into their spacecraft – a process which starts about four hours before lift-off.

  6. Countdown to the biggest space story in a generation

    Pallab Ghosh
    Science correspondent, reporting from the launch site

    Rows of reporters with laptops out in front of them

    These are the scenes from a packed Kennedy Space Center newsroom.

    Reporters from across the world are getting set to report the biggest space story in a generation.

    A clock showing seven hours and eighteen seconds to go

    The Kennedy Space Center has a clock counting down until take-off

  7. How Artemis II fits into Nasa’s Moon plans

    Rebecca Morelle
    Science editor, reporting from the launch site

    People photograph Nasa's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, on Pad 39B ahead of the Artemis II mission launchReuters

    The Artemis I mission took place in 2022, and saw Nasa’s mega rocket - the Space Launch System (SLS) - and the Orion capsule fly for the first time on a 25-day mission around the Moon.

    But there were no humans onboard.

    For Artemis II, astronauts are very much at the front and centre of the mission. The crew will be the first people to fly in the SLS and Orion as they travel around the Moon - their mission will last about 10 days.

    The plans for Artemis III have recently been overhauled by Nasa. It was originally supposed to see astronauts land on the lunar surface, and was scheduled for 2028.

    Instead the crew will stay closer to home - and in 2027 they’ll fly on Orion to low-Earth orbit, and test docking with a lunar lander.

    Artemis IV and V will now become lunar landing missions - and Nasa says it’s aiming for both to happen in 2028. But this is an ambitious timeline.

    Two companies - Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin - are building lunar landers. But it’s not clear which one will be used for the docking test with Artemis III, or which will be selected for the first lunar landing.

    Eventually, Nasa plans to build a lunar base. But plans to construct a space station called Gateway to orbit around the Moon have been paused.

  8. You can follow every moment - watch live above

    Pria Rai
    Presenter

    It’s still eight hours until lift-off - our stream is now live from inside the BBC newsroom and we’re settling in for all the action to come.

    Science journalist Jonathan Amos is with me and sharing his wisdom on all things rocket related. It’s possible he won’t stop until then... except for refuelling.

    We’re going to follow the Artemis II mission all the way - join us for the ride by clicking watch live above.

  9. A favourable forecast for Artemis II launch despite cloud

    Graphic of the Artemis II rocket, the Moon and Earth and showing the 'Launch Weather Criteria' including types of cloud, natural lightning and surface electric field.

    It looks like a promising weather forecast for the anticipated launch for Artemis II today.

    The weather conditions Nasa is keeping an eye on include atmospheric electricity, types of cloud, specifically cumulus and disturbed weather like rain or strong winds.

    In Florida the spring sunshine is now bringing more heat and warmer days. Meanwhile, high pressure in the western Atlantic is producing an easterly breeze blowing from the ocean, bringing increased moisture to the eastern coast of Florida.

    This combination of heat and moisture can lead to lots of cumulus cloud developing. As these grow thicker, they bring the threat of showers and thunderstorms.

    It's hoped that any clouds or strong winds may stay far enough away to allow the rocket to get airborne and safely through Earth's atmosphere.

    Official Nasa forecasts have suggested the weather will be 80% favourable for launch within the two hour window, opening at 18:24 local time (23:24 BST).

  10. A cloudy sky on launch day - and why this is can be a cause for concern

    Pallab Ghosh
    Science correspondent, reporting from the launch site

    A cloudy sky hangs over the Nasa building

    The fluffy clouds concerning launch teams have gathered over the Kennedy Space Center.

    The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket can’t fly through or even close to them, because it creates lightning that may damage the spacecraft’s systems.

    On the plus side, there’s a gentle breeze to blow them away.

  11. Will Artemis II land on the Moon?

    Pallab Ghosh and Alison Francis
    Science correspondent and senior science journalist

    People look at Nasa's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, on Pad 39B ahead of the Artemis II mission launch at the Kennedy Space CenterReuters

    In short: no. This mission is to lay the ground for a lunar landing by astronauts in the Artemis IV mission, planned for 2028.

    Ahead of that, Nasa plans another crewed test mission, Artemis III, in 2027, to rehearse Orion's rendezvous and docking with one or more lunar landers and to try out the new spacesuits if they are ready in time.

    Nasa has picked two rival commercial landers for Artemis: SpaceX's Starship and a craft designed by Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin, and will decide closer to the time which vehicles fly which missions.

    When Artemis IV finally flies, the astronauts will be heading to the Moon's south pole.

    After this, the aim is to have another landing later in 2028 with the Artemis V mission, to build up the capability for a sustained human presence on the Moon.

  12. When is Nasa's Artemis II due to launch towards the Moon?

    People with large cameras film the rocket, which is in the distance behind themReuters

    The launch window for the mission opens at 18:24 local time on Wednesday (23:24 BST) and lasts for two hours.

    We'll be streaming the event right here at the top of this page so you can watch along live.

    If the launch has to be delayed, Nasa's next possible dates are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 30 April.

  13. Rocket at the ready on a calm morning in Florida

    It's mid-morning in Cape Canaveral, Flordia, where the Artemis rocket looms over the flat landscape.

    Eager rocket watchers are already in place, watching a large clock counting down until the launch window opens.

    The rocket in the far distance with a big clock on a green counting down time until launch. A flag pole bears the American flagEPA
    A far away view of the rocket which has multiple towers around it. There is a stretch of water, a field and tree cover in front of the rocketEPA

  14. Countdown begins for first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years

    Nasa is set to send four astronauts into space - marking the first mission to the Moon's orbit in more than 50 years.

    Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch's mission is partly intended to pave the way for a future lunar landing in the coming years.

    Due to launch from 18:24 local time (23:24 BST) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Artemis II will spend around 10 days travelling around the Moon.

    We'll be following the launch closely and will bring you the latest updates - but in the meantime we'll bring you up to speed on what this mission is all about.

    People look at NASA's Artemis II lunar flyby missionReuters