NASA's Artemis II astronauts will spend about 24 hours orbiting the Earth and running checks on their spacecraft and life support systems before heading to the moon.

April 1 (Reuters) - NASA's Artemis program is the U.S. effort to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era and eventually establish a sustained human presence there, a goal Washington has framed as central to maintaining space leadership amid growing competition from China.

As four astronauts get set to blast off on humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century, comparisons between Apollo and NASA’s new Artemis program are inevitable. The world’s first lunar visitors orbited the moon on Apollo 8.

NASA Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are set to launch as early as April 1.

By Joey Roulette CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, April 1 (Reuters) - NASA is set to launch four astronauts as soon as Wednesday evening on a 10-day flight around the moon, marking the most ambitious U.S. space mission in decades and a major step toward returning humans to the lunar surface before China's first crewed landing.

But the Artemis II program could be the inspirational lunar mission for a new generation of Coloradans. On Wednesday, the intro to space class at Metropolitan State University of Denver held a watch party for the Artemis II mission launch.

Mission control confirms ‘toilet go for use’ after glitch sorted