NASA's Artemis II crew is preparing for humanity's first crewed lunar mission since 1972, with astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen entering prelaunch quarantine ahead of their Wednesday launch. The four crew members spoke from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, acknowledging the growing reality of their historic journey.

The 10-day mission represents a critical test for NASA's spacecraft systems without attempting a lunar landing, setting the stage for future crewed landings. Koch will become the first woman to pass over the moon, Glover the first Black astronaut, and Hansen the first Canadian to make the journey, marking significant diversity milestones in space exploration.

NASA's rocket has remained at the launchpad for over a week after engineers resolved technical issues that scrapped earlier launch opportunities. The mission aims to gather observations of the moon's far side, with Hansen expressing awe at the distance he soon will travel. This marks NASA's return to crewed lunar exploration with international partners.