NASA Intensifies Preparations for Historic Crewed Moon Mission After Five Decades

America. NASA is rapidly accelerating preparations for the historic mission to send astronauts toward the Moon for the first time in over five decades. NASA began a two-day practice countdown on Saturday at Cape Canaveral, Florida, which will test readiness up to the point of fueling the new moon rocket.

If this test is successful, NASA has stated that the launch date for the mission to orbit the Moon with four astronauts and return them to Earth will be set. The astronauts, led by Commander Reid Wiseman, are currently in quarantine for health and safety.

They will be the first human crew to travel toward the Moon since 1972. The astronauts will monitor the practice procedure from NASA's center in Houston, Texas, and will depart for Kennedy Space Center once the rocket flight is approved. The 322-foot-tall 'Space Launch System' rocket was moved to the launch site two weeks ago.

If Monday's fueling test is successful, NASA indicated it could prepare for a launch within a week. During the test, more than seven hundred thousand gallons of super-chilled propellant will be loaded into the rocket, stopping approximately 30 seconds before engine ignition.

Previously, the fuel test and launch schedule were postponed by two days due to extremely cold weather. According to current projections, February 8 is the earliest possible launch date.

The American and Canadian astronauts aboard the 'Orion' capsule will orbit the Moon and return to Earth without landing. This nearly 10-day mission will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Previously, under the Apollo program, NASA sent 24 astronauts toward the Moon between 1968 and 1972, with 12 of them walking on the lunar surface.