New Delhi, April 1 -- NASA had a trouble-free countdown for the Artemis II mission on Tuesday, on the eve of astronauts' first trip to the moon in more than half a century, after weeks of fuel leaks and other issues.

Officials reported the moon rocket was doing well on the pad, and the weather looked promising. Forecasters put the odds of favourable conditions at 80%.

"Everybody's pretty excited and understands the significance of this launch," said senior test director Jeff Spaulding.

Artemis 2 is scheduled to take off from Florida as early as April 1 at 6:24 pm EST (3:54 AM IST on April 2).

The four astronauts - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen - will become the first lunar visitors since Apollo 17 in 19...