13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II Artemis II: 1. Why humans are returning to the Moon
34 snips
Mar 30, 2026 
Tim Marshall, journalist and author on geopolitics and the new space race. Rebecca Morelle, BBC science editor reporting live from Kennedy Space Center. Kristin Fisher, US space reporter providing on-the-ground context. They discuss launch readiness, fuel and technical challenges, political and commercial drivers behind returning to the Moon, international partnerships and how this mission fits into Space Race 2.0.
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Multi-Term Consensus Enables Moon Returns
- Programme continuity across administrations matters more than single presidential promises.
- Tim Peake notes Constellation, asteroid plans, then Artemis show multi-term agreement enabled today's mission.
Leaks Forced Rocket Repairs And A Quick Turnaround
- Artemis II launch was delayed by hydrogen and then helium leaks found during wet dress rehearsals.
- Rebecca Morelle describes repairs, rolling the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, and a fast turnaround for April.
Skipping Final Dress Rehearsal To Preserve Hardware
- NASA skipped another wet dress rehearsal to avoid repeated stress on the rocket hardware.
- Rebecca Morelle reports Lori Glaze saying each fuel-fill stresses the system and they wanted the next full fill to proceed to launch.
