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NASA sets date for first crewed Moon flyby in 50 years

(L-R) Canadian Space Agency astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch, NASA astronaut Victor Gloverand and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman
The ten-day manned mission is set to be the first to travel around the moon and back again since Apollo 17 in 1972

NASA has set 6 March as the earliest possible launch date for Artemis II, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.

Lori Glaze, a senior official with the US space agency, cautioned that pad work, a flight readiness review and a dress rehearsal analysis needed to be completed in order to meet that date.

"We need to successfully navigate all of those but assuming that happens, it puts us in a very good position to target 6 March," Ms Glaze said.

NASA rehearsed the launch of its massive SLS rocket yesterday.

 Artemis II SLS
Artemis II's four-person crew will fly the Orion spacecraft

Technical problems in early February cut short an earlier so-called wet dress rehearsal of the launch of the Artemis II mission.

However yesterday, the US space agency reported that things proceeded as planned, concluding at "T-29 seconds" in the countdown.

The wet dress rehearsal is conducted under real conditions - with full rocket tanks and technical checks - at Cape Canaveral in Florida, with engineers practicing the manoeuvres needed to carry out an actual launch.

The setback in February, which included a liquid hydrogen leak, dashed hopes of a lift-off this month.

Three American astronauts and one Canadian make up the Artemis II crew.