The Artemis II crew arrives in Florida ahead of the launch
The Artemis II crew arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida ahead of the launch of their historic crewed test flight around the Moon. NASA is targeting no earlier than , for the launch of the mission during a two-hour window that opens at ET, with additional opportunities each day through .
After flying in from Houston, Texas, aboard NASA's T-38 jets, they were greeted on the tarmac by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President Lisa Campbell and other NASA representatives.
Having started their quarantine on , the crewmembers stayed at a safe distance from the crowd, but answered questions from reporters and announced the winner of the Moon Mascot design contest.
Jeremy Hansen's backup for the mission, CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons, flew in one of the T-38 jets with NASA's Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II Commander. Gibbons and NASA backup astronaut Andre Douglas are preparing to take on their role in the Orion closeout crew.
On ET, the crew will take part in a virtual question-and-answer session with media from the crew quarters. A series of NASA briefings will also take place in the days before launch.
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Winner of the Artemis II Moon Mascot design contest
More than 2,600 submissions of zero gravity indicator (ZGI) designs were received from over 50 countries, including Canada. Three of the Canadian submissions were selected as finalists by NASA in . Congratulations to Lucas Yee, from California, Unites States! NASA has fabricated his innovative ZGI, which will ride with the Artemis II crew and visually indicate when they reach microgravity.
Congratulations as well to the students from Oakville Trafalgar High School in Oakville, Ontario, who created Lepus the Moon Rabbit. Lepus made it into the top 5.