After multiple delays, the first crewed Artemis flight around the moon could be less than 20 weeks away, NASA officials said Tuesday, putting the space program one step closer to returning to the moon itself in its “second space race” with China.

The Artemis II mission, which would be the first crewed spaceflight to exit low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972, had already been pushed back several times after its original launch target of 2024, with the most recent delay aiming for “no later than” April 2026. But with pieces falling into place, it could launch as early as Feb. 5, NASA officials said during a mission update from Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“We want to emphasize that safety is our top priority, and so as we work through these operational preparations, as we finish s

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