NASA announces Artemis II crew Q&A and launch status news conference

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (WINK) — The upcoming Artemis II mission represents a key step in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and lay the foundation for future deep-space exploration.

Artemis II will be the first crewed mission in the program, sending astronauts on a lunar flyby to test critical systems, including the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System, in a real mission environment.

• AP: Apollo vs. Artemis: What to know about NASA's return to the moon

As part of ongoing pre-launch coverage, the Artemis II crew participated in a live press interview at 11:30 a.m., answering questions from reporters while in quarantine. The session provided updates on crew readiness and mission preparation.

Later in the day, at 2 p.m., NASA will hold a news conference to provide a status update on the launch.

Viewers can watch the livestreams in this article at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to hear directly from the astronauts ahead of the mission.

• AP: Meet the Artemis crew in NASA's first astronaut mission to the moon in more than a half-century