For the first time in 53 years, the United States plans to launch a crewed lunar orbiter on April 2.

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The United States, after more than half a century, is once again attempting to send astronauts to lunar orbit. The success of this milestone mission is not only crucial to advancing NASA’s deep space exploration roadmap, but will also directly affect the commercial aerospace industry chain centered around the lunar economy.

According to CCTV News, NASA stated on March 31 that it is carrying out the final preparations before launch in an orderly manner. As planned, the "Artemis II" mission will be launched no earlier than 6:24pm Eastern Time on April 1 (6:24am Beijing time on April 2). At that time, the United States’ new-generation lunar rocket, the "Space Launch System," will carry the "Orion" spacecraft, launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to send four astronauts into lunar orbit for a 10-day lunar flyby.

Meteorological forecasts show there is a 20% probability of weather violations during the launch window, meaning there is an 80% chance of favorable conditions for launching. NASA launch meteorologist Mark Burger stated at the March 31 press conference that the weather conditions in the rocket ascent corridor are "very compliant with launch requirements," with a risk probability of only 9%, describing it as a "very ideal" state.

Back to Deep Space After 53 Years, Far-Reaching Significance

"Artemis II" is the United States' first attempt since 1972 to send astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit into deep space, more than 53 years since the last crewed lunar landing mission. This mission is also the first crewed flight of the "Orion" spacecraft.

The four astronauts on this mission are: NASA astronaut and mission commander Reid Wiseman, NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The four will ride the Orion spacecraft named "Integrity", fly near lunar orbit, and are expected to directly observe regions of the moon’s far side never before seen by humans.

NASA Deputy Administrator Amit Kshatriya stated before launch: "The spacecraft is ready, the systems are ready, the crew is ready. Behind this flight is a whole set of plans—lunar landing, lunar base, deep space nuclear propulsion. All of this begins Wednesday, not ends."

Launch Procedures and Subsequent Key Milestones

More than 49 hours of launch countdown officially began at 4:44pm Eastern Time, March 30. The launch window is two hours, and the SLS rocket is 322 feet (about 98 meters) tall.

As planned, about 20 minutes after launch, the four solar panels on the European Service Module will unfold to power the spacecraft. About 49 minutes after liftoff, the upper stage will perform a perigee-raising maneuver, sending Orion into an elliptical orbit; about an hour later, it will perform an apogee-raising maneuver, entering a high Earth orbit.

The second day of flight will see a key decision point: NASA will assess the spacecraft and crew’s status, deciding whether to perform the Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) burn, officially embarking on their journey to the moon. During the mission, astronauts will also conduct manual piloting demonstrations, verifying Orion’s maneuvering capabilities needed for docking with future Blue Origin and SpaceX lunar modules.

The deep space radiation environment data and flight experience accumulated during this mission will provide important support for NASA’s future crewed lunar landings and lunar base construction plans.

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