WATCH: NASA holds news conference on Artemis II launch as 2-day countdown begins

## Summary
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA began the countdown Monday for humanity's first launch to the moon in 53 years. After a day in orbit around Earth, their Orion capsule will propel them to the moon and back. READ MORE: Apollo's old-timers root for NASA's return to the moon with Artemis II launch Managers said the rocket is doing well following the latest round of repairs. NASA's Artemis II mission should have soared in February, but was grounded by hydrogen fuel leaks.

## Article Content
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA began the countdown Monday for humanity's first launch to the moon in 53 years.

Watch NASA's news conference in the video player above.

The 32-story Space Launch System rocket is poised to blast off Wednesday evening with four astronauts. After a day in orbit around Earth, their Orion capsule will propel them to the moon and back. There are no stops — just a quick U-turn around the moon. The nearly 10-day flight will end with a splashdown in the Pacific.

READ MORE: Apollo's old-timers root for NASA's return to the moon with Artemis II launch

Managers said the rocket is doing well following the latest round of repairs. Forecasters said the weather should cooperate.

NASA's Artemis II mission should have soared in February, but was grounded by hydrogen fuel leaks. The leaks were fixed, but then a helium pressurization line became clogged, forcing a return to the hangar late last month. The rocket returned to the pad 1 1/2 weeks ago, and its U.S.-Canadian crew arrived at the launch site on Friday.

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
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### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- After a day in orbit around Earth, their Orion capsule will propel them to the moon and back.
- The nearly 10-day flight will end with a splashdown in the Pacific.
- Forecasters said the weather should cooperate.
- NASA's Artemis II mission should have soared in February, but was grounded by hydrogen fuel leaks.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers nasa, launch, moon topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 179.