Countdown

'Helping humans to the Moon is a dream come true'

2026-02-02 05:30:00 UTC

NASA readies for crucial rehearsal ahead of its upcoming moon launch

2026-02-02 05:30:00 UTC

The Artemis II mission is set to launch four astronauts on a trip around the moon no earlier than Sunday. But first, NASA must fuel its rocket and run through the full launch day process.

For the first time in half a century, astronauts are going back to the Moon

2026-02-02 05:30:00 UTC

A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and even "E-minus" for events that involve spacecraft that are already in space, where the "T" could stand for "Test" or "Time", and the "E" stands for "Encounter", as with a comet or some other space object, like a spacecraft.

Other events for which countdowns are commonly used include the detonation of an explosive, the start of a race, the start of the New Year, or any anxiously anticipated event. An early use of a countdown once signaled the start of a Cambridge University rowing race.