NASA clears its Artemis moon rocket for an April launch with four astronauts following repairs

NASA has cleared its moon rocket for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs. Mission managers made the call Thursday at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. NASA says the Space Launch System rocket will roll out of the hangar and back to the pad next week. That should lead to a launch attempt as early as April 1. The Artemis II crew should have blasted off on a lunar flyaround earlier this year, but fuel leaks and other rocket problems interfered. It will mark humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than 50 years.