Artemis II launch next week highlights the astronauts' rescue crew.

Artemis II's four-person crew is preparing for a nine-day round trip to the moon, and a global Air Force rescue team is on standby to recover astronauts in contingency scenarios.

The Artemis II crew is at Kennedy Space Center in Florida preparing to lift off and travel to the moon as early as Wednesday. The mission is planned as a nine-day round trip that will cover nearly half a million miles, loop around the far side of the moon and return to Earth. It is the first crewed moonshot since 1972 and is treated as a test flight. NASA and partner teams are rehearsing contingency plans and have a global Air Force rescue unit on standby. Rescue details: - Air Force Detachment 3 has coordinated contingency planning and astronaut rescues for NASA since 1959, according to unit leaders. - In a simulation observed by CBS, a C-17 carried about 15,000 pounds of rescue equipment to a splashdown site and airdropped jet skis, inflatable boats and medical supplies. - Pararescue jumpers (PJs) enter the water, gather equipment, bring it to the capsule and help transfer astronauts to a life raft stocked with food, water, survival gear and medical equipment. - Team member Jason Dykstra said jumpers prepare for uncertain conditions and noted the rescue teams carry supplies to sustain astronauts medically for about 72 to 96 hours. - Unit leader Lt. Col. Kevin Pieper said rehearsals help prepare for many unknowns and described backing up the Artemis II crew as a significant responsibility. Summary: The presence of trained global rescue teams is part of NASA's contingency planning for this test flight, and rehearsals aim to prepare for a range of outcomes. Multiple teams will remain on standby as Artemis II prepares to launch as early as Wednesday. The next major milestone is the scheduled liftoff.