{"id":21271,"date":"2026-03-30T22:40:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-is-set-to-send-humans-around-the-moon-no-earlier-than-wednesday\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:40:33","slug":"nasa-is-set-to-send-humans-around-the-moon-no-earlier-than-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-is-set-to-send-humans-around-the-moon-no-earlier-than-wednesday\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA is set to send humans around the Moon no earlier than Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-border featured-image\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/KSC-20260327-PH-KLS01_0284large.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1600\" class=\"skip-lazy wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/KSC-20260327-PH-KLS01_0284large.jpg?w=320&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/KSC-20260327-PH-KLS01_0284large.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/KSC-20260327-PH-KLS01_0284large.jpg?w=1024&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/KSC-20260327-PH-KLS01_0284large.jpg?w=1500&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" data-attachment-id=\"44074\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/2026\/03\/29\/nasa-is-set-to-send-humans-around-the-moon-no-earlier-than-wednesday\/ksc-20260327-ph-kls01_0284large\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/KSC-20260327-PH-KLS01_0284large.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all\" data-orig-size=\"1920,960\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"artemis 2 crew arrival\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\n\n<p>Image: NASA<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/KSC-20260327-PH-KLS01_0284large.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024&#8243;><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\tImage: NASA\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After waiting years, the time is finally here for another launch of NASA\u2019s Space Launch System with Artemis 2. This time the stakes are much higher as a crew of four will be riding on top and will circle the Moon, a first since Apollo 17 back in 1972.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-44071\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen arrived at Kennedy Space Center to continue their quarantine on March 27. They will soon embark on a 10-day mission around the Moon inside NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis 2 mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This will be SLS\u2018s first crewed mission and the first crewed mission to the Moon since NASA\u2019s Apollo missions ended in the early 1970s. A historic moment indeed, the mission will see Koch become the first woman to fly to the Moon and Hansen the first Canadian and non-American to fly to the Moon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Artemis 2 will not land on the surface of the Moon, it will play a big role in ensuring Orion and SLS are capable of supporting crew operations out at the Moon for extended periods.<\/p>\n<p>\t<span class=\"outbrain-ad-label\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<script type=\"text\/plain\">\n\t\t\twindow.adSlotsConfig = window.adSlotsConfig || [];<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tadSlotsConfig.push( {\n\t\t\t\tslotID: '\/1049447\/Outbrain',\n\t\t\t\tslotName: 'div-gpt-ad-outbrain-ad-44071',\n\t\t\t\tsizes: [300, 250],\n\t\t\t\tslotPosition: 'mid_article'\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Artemis 2 is currently set to launch no earlier than 6:24 PM ET on Wednesday, April 1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SLS rocket in question has been sitting at Launch Complex 39B, an old Space Shuttle and Saturn V launch site, since March 20. NASA has been tight-lipped on updates surrounding this vehicle\u2019s status other than teams continue to prepare it for flight, and nothing yet has shown up that will potentially delay an April Fool\u2019s Day launch.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"44075\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/2026\/03\/29\/nasa-is-set-to-send-humans-around-the-moon-no-earlier-than-wednesday\/hyp_3407\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"artemis 2 sls rocket at pad\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\n\n<p>Image: Jared Sanders \/ Space Explored<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024&#8243; height=&#8221;512&#8243; width=&#8221;1024&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024&#8243; alt=&#8221;Artemis 2&#8217;s Space Launch System rocket sitting at LC-39B during sunset&#8221; class=&#8221;wp-image-44075&#8243; srcset=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=300,150 300w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=768,384 768w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=1024,512 1024w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=1536,768 1536w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=350,175 350w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=140,70 140w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=1600,800 1600w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=290,145 290w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=600,300 600w, https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/HYP_3407.jpg?resize=150,75 150w&#8221; sizes=&#8221;(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&#8221;><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image: Jared Sanders \/ Space Explored<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Space Launch Delta 45, the Space Force unit tasked with managing the Eastern Range, shares an 80% chance of good weather for a Wednesday launch. Weather continues to be good on later backup dates in case of a delay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA couldn\u2019t have picked a better time of year to fly, as calmer spring weather will be easier to work with than Artemis 1\u2019s hurricane season it launched in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is still likely the biggest source of any launch delays is the rocket. This will only be the second time NASA has launched the SLS rocket, and the last flight was over three years ago. Pairing this with the rocket\u2019s propellant, hydrogen, being an extremely troublesome fuel to work with means launch delays both Saturday night and later into the launch window are plausible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA and the Artemis 2 crew are prepared for early delays to show up at any moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Artemis 1 was delayed for well over a month during its launch campaign. Its biggest issues were hydrogen leaks between the rocket and propellant lines. Will Artemis 2 be a similar story? We\u2019ll find out later this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image: Jared Sanders \/ Space Explored Space Launch Delta 45, the Space Force unit tasked with managing the Eastern Range, shares an 80% chance of good weather for a Wednesday launch. Weather continues to be good on later backup dates in case of a delay. NASA couldn\u2019t have picked a better time of year to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21271"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21271\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}