NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs.
The 322-foot rocket will roll out of the hangar and back to the pad next week at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, leading to a launch attempt as early as April 1.
It will mark humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than 50 years.
The Artemis II crew should have blasted off on a lunar flyaround earlier this year, but fuel leaks and other problems with the Space Launch System rocket interfered.
Although NASA managed to plug the hydrogen fuel leaks at the pad in February, a helium-flow issue forced the space agency to return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs, bumping the mission to April.
Mortgage rates climb again
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose again this week, reflecting ongoing bond market jitters over the war with Iran.
The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate ticked up to 6.11% from 6% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.65%.
The average rate is now back to where it was five weeks ago. Just two weeks ago, it touched its lowest level in three and a half years. It has been hovering around 6% this year, an encouraging backdrop for prospective home shoppers who can afford to buy at current rates just as the spring homebuying season gets rolling.
Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose this week. That average rate rose to 5.5% from 5.43% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.8%, Freddie Mac said.