- Nasa is making final preparations for its Artemis II mission, scheduled for launch on Wednesday, 1 April, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
- A four-person crew will undertake a 10-day journey around the Moon, travelling further from Earth than any human has previously ventured.
- The mission aims to establish foundations for future lunar landings, with the first crewed landing currently planned for 2028 as part of the Artemis IV mission.
- The crew comprises Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, marking several historic 'firsts' for lunar travel.
- The Orion spacecraft will perform a high-altitude flyby, reaching approximately 400,000 kilometres from Earth, and is anticipated to achieve a record-breaking speed upon re-entry.
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