We can bring you some more images now of the astronauts as they were greeted by family members and the media after suiting up.

They are now making their way to the launch pad.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The four astronauts have begun heading to the launch pad ahead of the launch window which is scheduled to open shortly after 23:20 BST (18:20 local time).

You can watch live above.

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, reporting from the launch site

Minutes before heading to the launch pad, the Artemis II crew have been playing cards in the suit‑up room – a small, light‑hearted moment that is in fact a long‑standing Nasa tradition.

Seated in their orange launch and entry suits, with technicians making final checks, the astronauts gathered around a low table for a quick game.

This ritual dates back at least to the space shuttle era and has since been adopted across Nasa’s human spaceflight programme, from missions to the International Space Station to today’s Moon mission.

The rules are simple but symbolic: they keep playing until the commander loses a hand, taking the bad luck so the team can leave on a positive note.

We're continuing to see images of the four astronauts getting into their distinctive orange suits - known as the Orion Crew Survival System.

They will wear them during launch, re-entry and at other key moments.

It’s like a mini-wearable spacecraft, pressurised with inbuilt life-support systems.

In the event of an emergency on their way to or from the Moon, the astronauts would quickly suit up – the spacesuit is designed to keep them alive for up to six days as they make their way back to Earth.

Unlike Shuttle-era space suite, which came in off-the-shelf sizes, these are custom fitted for each crew member. That should keep them more comfortable when worn pressurised for a long time.

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, reporting from the launch site

Image source, NASA

As we've reported, the astronauts are suiting up now - getting ready ahead of entering the capsule in about an hour or so.

They’re all looking happy and surprisingly relaxed considering what is ahead of them.

We've just had the first images of the astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen suiting up.

Here's a brief introduction:

Image source, NASA

In the last few moments we've been getting images of the four astronauts having their suits fitted as they prepare for the upcoming launch.

As a reminder, you can follow along by watching live above.

Simon King
BBC Weather

While the weather forecast is still 80% favourable during the two-hour launch window, forecasters will still be closely monitoring the convective cloud - called cumulus - that has been developing over the last few hours to the east of Cape Canaveral and moving inland (circled on the satellite picture).

There have also been a few showers in the area which would be a concern.

If these cumulus clouds are still around at the start of the launch window, there’s a possibility that there could be a hold to the final countdown.

However, they should start to disappear soon after sunset and into the evening during the two-hour window.

Image source, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor, reporting from the launch site

Image source, Getty Images

After its history-making lunar landings, the Apollo programme was cancelled in 1972.

Costs had spiralled, priorities had changed.

So attention shifted to a more budget-friendly destination: low-Earth orbit. And that’s been the focus for Nasa the last 50 years - starting with Skylab, then the Space Shuttle programme, and more recently the International Space Station.

Nasa set the Moon in its sights again in 2005 with a programme called Constellation. But it was cancelled in 2010 because of delays and cost over-runs.

But the technology developed for Constellation - namely the Orion spacecraft and the parts of the Constellation rockets - became incorporated into the Artemis programme, which formally began in 2017.

A Moon landing was originally planned for 2024, but with delays to the Artemis programme, Nasa says it's aiming for a lunar landing in 2028.

If you're looking for a deep dive, the BBC's space podcast, 13 Minutes, has a series focusing on the Artemis II mission.

It's just begun, with the first two episodes already available - and there will be daily updates focusing on the mission in the days ahead.

You can listen now on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

The Visual Journalism Team
BBC News

The Artemis II crew will be the first humans to return to the Moon in more than 50 years, and the 10-day journey will take them further from Earth than anyone has been before.

Although the four astronauts won’t land on the Moon's surface, they are hoping to bring a new understanding of the lunar environment and the mission will pave the way for a future landing.

They take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and, once their rocket is about 70,000km (45,000 miles) above the planet, the Orion spacecraft - which houses the crew - will separate from the launcher and orbit the Earth.

The astronauts must then decide whether to continue the mission - while they are close to Earth, getting back is relatively straightforward if there are any issues that cannot be fixed.

If all is well, Orion will fire its main engine to blast free of the Earth’s gravity and set a path to the Moon.

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor, reporting from the launch site

The fuelling seems to be going well so far – and there’s a sense of excitement but also calm here at the Kennedy Space Center.

In previous tanking tests, the Artemis team had problems filling the rocket with liquid hydrogen.

It’s an extremely small and light molecule, and has a tendency to leak from the smallest of gaps.

But it hasn’t posed a problem so far.

Both the core stage of the rocket and the upper stage are now 100% full of hydrogen – and the team are now finishing adding the liquid oxygen to the rocket to complete the tanking process.

It has to be full before the astronauts can get onboard and into their spacecraft – a process which starts about four hours before lift-off.

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, reporting from the launch site

These are the scenes from a packed Kennedy Space Center newsroom.

Reporters from across the world are getting set to report the biggest space story in a generation.

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor, reporting from the launch site

Image source, Reuters

The Artemis I mission took place in 2022, and saw Nasa’s mega rocket - the Space Launch System (SLS) - and the Orion capsule fly for the first time on a 25-day mission around the Moon.

But there were no humans onboard.

For Artemis II, astronauts are very much at the front and centre of the mission. The crew will be the first people to fly in the SLS and Orion as they travel around the Moon - their mission will last about 10 days.

The plans for Artemis III have recently been overhauled by Nasa. It was originally supposed to see astronauts land on the lunar surface, and was scheduled for 2028.

Instead the crew will stay closer to home - and in 2027 they’ll fly on Orion to low-Earth orbit, and test docking with a lunar lander.

Artemis IV and V will now become lunar landing missions - and Nasa says it’s aiming for both to happen in 2028. But this is an ambitious timeline.

Two companies - Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin - are building lunar landers. But it’s not clear which one will be used for the docking test with Artemis III, or which will be selected for the first lunar landing.

Eventually, Nasa plans to build a lunar base. But plans to construct a space station called Gateway to orbit around the Moon have been paused.

Pria Rai
Presenter

It’s still eight hours until lift-off - our stream is now live from inside the BBC newsroom and we’re settling in for all the action to come.

Science journalist Jonathan Amos is with me and sharing his wisdom on all things rocket related. It’s possible he won’t stop until then... except for refuelling.

We’re going to follow the Artemis II mission all the way - join us for the ride by clicking watch live above.

It looks like a promising weather forecast for the anticipated launch for Artemis II today.

The weather conditions Nasa is keeping an eye on include atmospheric electricity, types of cloud, specifically cumulus and disturbed weather like rain or strong winds.

In Florida the spring sunshine is now bringing more heat and warmer days. Meanwhile, high pressure in the western Atlantic is producing an easterly breeze blowing from the ocean, bringing increased moisture to the eastern coast of Florida.

This combination of heat and moisture can lead to lots of cumulus cloud developing. As these grow thicker, they bring the threat of showers and thunderstorms.

It's hoped that any clouds or strong winds may stay far enough away to allow the rocket to get airborne and safely through Earth's atmosphere.

Official Nasa forecasts have suggested the weather will be 80% favourable for launch within the two hour window, opening at 18:24 local time (23:24 BST).

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, reporting from the launch site

The fluffy clouds concerning launch teams have gathered over the Kennedy Space Center.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket can’t fly through or even close to them, because it creates lightning that may damage the spacecraft’s systems.

On the plus side, there’s a gentle breeze to blow them away.

Pallab Ghosh and Alison Francis
Science correspondent and senior science journalist

Image source, Reuters

In short: no. This mission is to lay the ground for a lunar landing by astronauts in the Artemis IV mission, planned for 2028.

Ahead of that, Nasa plans another crewed test mission, Artemis III, in 2027, to rehearse Orion's rendezvous and docking with one or more lunar landers and to try out the new spacesuits if they are ready in time.

Nasa has picked two rival commercial landers for Artemis: SpaceX's Starship and a craft designed by Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin, and will decide closer to the time which vehicles fly which missions.

When Artemis IV finally flies, the astronauts will be heading to the Moon's south pole.

After this, the aim is to have another landing later in 2028 with the Artemis V mission, to build up the capability for a sustained human presence on the Moon.

Image source, Reuters

The launch window for the mission opens at 18:24 local time on Wednesday (23:24 BST) and lasts for two hours.

We'll be streaming the event right here at the top of this page so you can watch along live.

If the launch has to be delayed, Nasa's next possible dates are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 30 April.

It's mid-morning in Cape Canaveral, Flordia, where the Artemis rocket looms over the flat landscape.

Eager rocket watchers are already in place, watching a large clock counting down until the launch window opens.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA