NASA says 'on track' for Artemis 2 launch as soon as April 1

NASA said Thursday that the long-delayed launch of Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, could come as soon as April 1. The agency announced in February a sudden revamp of the Artemis program, including the addition of a test mission before an eventual lunar landing.

The first launch window would be Wednesday, April 1, with several others available in the following days. The Artemis 2 mission is meant to see the first flyby of the Moon in more than half a century, to be followed by Artemis 3 with the goal of "rendezvous in low-Earth orbit" of at least one lunar lander.