Janet Jalil

But once it's there...

Engineers will complete the final sort of checks and tests, but they really want to get this rocket launched at the start of April.

And the earliest date for a launch window to open is actually the 1st of April.

And the astronauts have entered into quarantine now, so to prepare for the mission.

So, you know, limiting their exposure to bugs and viruses.

So they're in peak health condition.

for their 10-day mission.

I mean, remember, this is the first time any humans have been to the Moon in more than 50 years, and these astronauts will be flying around the far side of the Moon, so they're not going to orbit around it.

They're going to go around the back of the Moon and come back to Earth again.

But this launch is actually, this mission is paving the way for a future lunar landing and then a future moon base, because the difference between the Artemis missions and the Apollo missions, that NASA wants to sort of build a sustained presence on the moon to have astronauts living and working there.

And they're not the only ones.

China are wanting to do the same.

I mean, China are aiming to get astronauts down to the lunar surface by 2030, and they're making very steady progress indeed.

So the race is really on to get to the moon.

Rebecca Murrell.

Still to come in this podcast... We are going to experience loss of electricity and the damage is likely to be significant with a system of this size.

A cyclone hits Australia's north-eastern coast bringing fierce winds, heavy rain and flooding.

This is the Global News Podcast.

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