Jeff Spalding

NASA test director Jeff Spalding told reporters that launch preparations have been going well at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Someone asked him about the fact that it's April Fool's Day because there's a long history of astronauts playing practical jokes.

He said he hoped everyone would stay focused on the launch.

It will happen no earlier than 6.24 p.m.

Eastern time.

If bad weather or a technical glitch forces a delay, there should be additional launch opportunities through April 6th.

Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News.

People are excited and ready to go on this first chapter on our way back to the moon since the 1970s.

So we're very excited.

Normally when we're in the firing room working over there, folks got their heads down when they're working and they're doing all the business that we do in the space business, but I'll say there was a lot of smiles today.

During the propellant loading, the flight crew will wake up at about 9.45 tomorrow morning.

They'll have breakfast and start working towards their preparations for launch day, getting their suits on and doing all the other work that they have to get ready to head out to the pad.