KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – An Awesome Artemis Rainbow magically appeared over the Space Coast accompanying the start of the countdown clock for NASA’s Artemis II test flight – which officially began ticking down at 4:44 p.m. EDT to a targeted launch time of 6:24 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1 – shortly putting on a magnificent display!
On March 30 and T Minus 2 days to liftoff the famous countdown clock has begun ticking down for NASAs Artemis II Moonshot rocket comprising the 32-story tall integrated SLS and Orion stack at Launch complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center, in Florida that will propel 4 astronauts on a historic test flight looping around the Moon and back
Enjoy our photos taken by the Space UpClose team of Ken Kremer and Jean Wright.
Members of the launch team arrived at their consoles inside the Rocco Petrone Launch Control Center at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
The Countdown started about 49 hours before the targeted T Zero at 6:24 p.m. ET April 1
The Artemis II moonshot will propel 4 humans to the moon for the first time in over 50 years from Florida’s Space Coast!
The international crew quartet comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen
They will venture further out from Earth than any humans before in history!
The Artemis II crew will travel over 690,000 miles in a loop around the Moon and back – farther than any human before. Farther even then the current record holders – namely the three-man crew of Apollo 13
Details from NASA:
With countdown officially underway, engineers are powering up flight hardware, checking communication links, and preparing the rocket’s cryogenic systems for the precise fueling sequence required to load hundreds of thousands of gallons of super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. At Launch Pad 39B, teams will begin filling the sound suppression system’s massive tank with water, which will unleash a protective deluge at liftoff to shield the vehicle from the roar of its own engines.
The Artemis II crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, remains in Astronaut Crew Quarters inside NASA Kennedy’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. The crewmates have spent the final countdown phase focused on readiness and technical verification, remaining in quarantine under strict health monitoring and completing medical checks to ensure fitness for launch. They have been following a controlled sleep schedule and nutrition plan to maintain energy and hydration for launch, while continuing to receive regular updates on the rocket’s configuration and weather conditions from crew quarters.
NASA and weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 continue to pay close attention to weather conditions ahead of tanking operations. The weather forecast for launch day shows an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions with primary concerns being cloud coverage and the potential for high winds in the area. Teams will continue to monitor the weather in the coming days.
Broadcast coverage begins with live views and audio commentary of tanking operations beginning at 7:45 a.m. on April 1, on NASA’s YouTube channel, as teams load propellant into the SLS rocket. Full coverage on NASA+ begins at 12:50 p.m. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.
On Monday, NASA leadership hosted a status update briefing to discuss the latest mission preparations.
Watch replay below:
Caption: Streamed live on Mar 30, 2026
Following a key mission meeting, NASA leaders are providing a status update on Artemis II launch preparations two days before liftoff. Participants include:
- Amit Kshatriya, Associate Administrator
- John Honeycutt, chair, Mission Management Team
- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director
- Emily Nelson, chief flight director
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Ken Kremer Recent TV Interviews
Mar 25/26 WESH 2 NBC News Orlando: Watch my comments about NASAs new Moonbase plans at the lunar South Pole. Whats up with new NASA Artemis 2,3,4 missions timeline. Whats the future of commercial LEO space stations after ISS ends. Big Problem! – lack of money !
story/video: https://www.wesh.com/article/nasa-shifts-focus-to-moon-missions-iss-retirement-looms/70848583
How, why and whats up with new NASA Artemis 2,3,4 mission planning timelines and goals in the meantime.
Watch my complete live interview
https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/fmc-3f8esf3r7ac76uzx
Caption: NASA has unveiled a timeline to get astronauts up on the moon once again. This time: $20 billion are being invested into a moon base project that would see astronauts up for a specific period of time, happening in the near future. FOX35 News+ Anchor Garrett Wymer spoke with Ken Kremer, Managing Editor for Space Upclose about this and the future of space travel.
Fox 35 Complete live interview video:
https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/fmc-vihrm1hbp25zq1hj
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/could-nasas-artemis-2-rollout-160318868.html
Wesh 2 NBC Orlando Mar 25:
https://www.wesh.com/article/nasa-shifts-focus-to-moon-missions-iss-retirement-looms/70848583
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