NASA's Moon mission, Artemis II, has finally entered its long awaited final countdown at the Kennedy Space Center, with a targeted launch now set for 6.24 pm on 1 April. The mission marks the first crewed flight of NASA's powerful Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in more than 50 years.
There is a quiet mix of pride and tension among engineers, families and space enthusiasts as the world prepares for liftoff. As the clock ticks down, the stakes feel unmistakable. For the first time since the Apollo programme, humans will travel beyond low Earth orbit and circle the Moon.
