More than 50 years after astronauts last flew to the Moon, NASA’s Artemis II mission is poised to send a crew on a lunar flyby, opening a new era in human spaceflight. The mission is due to lift off from Florida tonight. The launch window is set to open at 6.24pm (11.24pm Irish time). Here is what to know about the closely watched flight that is expected to begin a fresh chapter in space exploration. The goal The programme is designed to put Americans back on the Moon, build a lasting presence there and lay the groundwork…

Four astronauts chosen for NASA’s Artemis II mission are preparing to cross the next threshold in the push to return humans to the Moon: arrival in Florida and the final sprint of pre-launch work for the first crewed journey to deep space in more than five decades. Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch will launch alongside Canadian astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen from Kennedy Space Center as soon as 1 April, riding atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. They will travel inside an…