Nasa set new date for mission to return to the Moon

The first in over 50 years

The Artemis II mission is Nasa first crewed return to the Moon which will see four astronauts embark on a 10-day journey around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth.

While this mission went put boots on the ground on Earth's closest neighbour, it will pave the way for the Artemis III mission, which will do just that.

Now, Nasa has set the 6 March (early morning 7 March UK time) as the earliest launch date for the Artemis II mission.

This comes following a successful "wet dress rehearsal", an essential pre-launch test during which the rocket is filled with fuel and taken through the whole countdown procedure.

It was the second attempt at a practice run at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Despite Nasa setting 6 March as a target, it remains the earliest possible date, with plenty more to be done to meet that launch date.

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," Glaze said.

The launch marks the first time in 53 years that humans have left low-Earth orbit and will be the first crewed mission to the Moon since December 1972.

The crew will first orbit Earth as a test to life-support equipment, before going on to the Moon and then using the Earth's gravity to slingshot back down.

An Orion spacecraft is being used for the mission, with NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket system carrying the launch.

The mission had been slated for a early February launch but a fuel leak lead to this being postponed.

Glaze said issues including with seals and filters had now been remedied.

Three Americans - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch - and one Canadian, Jeremy Hansen, make up the Artemis II crew.