Artemis II T-Minus 29 Minutes: Pad Cleared for Historic Lunar Liftoff

The final phase of the countdown is officially underway at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B. With just 29 minutes remaining until the scheduled 6:35 PM EDT liftoff, the closeout crew has cleared the white room and moved to a safe distance. The fully fueled Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — loaded with hundreds of thousands of gallons of super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen — has now transitioned to internal power.

Inside the Orion capsule, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are strapped in, completing final communication checks with Mission Control in Houston.

Weather Outlook Reaches 90% “Go” for Launch Meteorologists from the U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 have upgraded the forecast to a 90% probability of favorable conditions. Earlier concerns about cumulus clouds and surface winds have cleared, creating near-perfect conditions for the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years. The launch window remains open until 8:24 PM EDT if needed, but all telemetry currently points to an on-time ignition.

Technical Teams Monitor Abort System Sensor Mission managers are reviewing a minor temperature reading on one of the Launch Abort System (LAS) batteries. Engineers have identified it as a faulty sensor rather than an actual hardware issue, and the backup sensor is performing normally. Launch rules permit continuation. The Flight Termination System (FTS) passed its final confidence test earlier today and is fully cleared.

Ten Days Around the Moon: The Flight Path After clearing the tower, the crew will spend the first 24 hours in High Earth Orbit to verify all life-support systems before the critical Translunar Injection (TLI) burn. Orion will then follow a free-return trajectory, swinging 4,600 miles beyond the lunar far side before Earth’s gravity brings the spacecraft home for a Pacific Ocean splashdown on April 11.

Countdown Milestones: T-Minus 29 Minutes

This isn’t just another rocket launch — it’s the first time human eyes will see the lunar far side up close since Apollo 17 in 1972. If you’re watching the live stream, keep an eye on “Max Q,” the moment of maximum aerodynamic stress on the rocket, roughly 80 seconds after liftoff.

With the 90% “Go” for weather and the crew ready on the pad, do you think the success of this flyby will finally silence the skeptics about the 2028 landing goal, or is the timeline still too aggressive?