New Delhi, March 31 -- For the first time in over half a century, a crewed spacecraft is set to depart for the Moon, with NASA engineers having officially begun the countdown for the historic and much-anticipated Artemis II mission.

With Artemis II slated to launch on 1 April, 2026, the rocket and the spacecraft to be used for the mission-namely, the 32-story Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft-have been deployed at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from where the launch will take place.

As we count down for the historic mission, here's everything you need to know.

The countdown to launch of the Artemis II mission has officially begun inside the Rocco Petrone Launch Control Center.

As it stands, the...