🌙 Turn your eyes to the skies this week. It's almost time for launch.

Why it matters: NASA's Artemis II, set to carry four astronauts around the Moon, is the first mission of its kind since Apollo, Axios Huntsville's Derek Lacey writes.

• And Christina Koch, an astronaut raised in North Carolina and educated in the state's public schools, is aboard the rocket.

Fun fact: If it launches on schedule today, the moon rocket will travel nearly 250,000 miles from Earth, putting humans farther from home than ever before.

Zoom in: A YouTube stream from NASA starts today at 12:50pm, ahead of the launch window opening at 6:24pm.

• A virtual tracker will show the Orion spacecraft's location over the course of the 10-day mission.

The latest: Today's weather outlook at Kennedy Space Center in Florida was 80% favorable, per NASA.

Flashback: The spacecraft was previously rolled off the launch pad because of technical issues during fueling.

• There are two-hour launch windows every day through Monday.
• NASA's next opportunity would begin April 30, when the Moon is full again.

📸 What we're watching: Koch's Instagram feed for photos from space.

• The crew is getting a view of the Moon that no human has before.

A Charlotte developer has begun construction on a new apartment project that will bring nearly 300 units to the area near the shuttered Northgate Mall in Durham.

Why it matters: The new apartment project adds more fuel to the large-scale transformation coming to the Northgate area, where the former mall is set to be partially demolished to make way for a Target and more.

Driving the news: The new apartment project — called Vara Trinity Park and being built by The Spectrum Cos. — will have 267 units split between three different buildings.

• The project, at 1618 North Duke St., sits around an existing church and will have entrances and exits on both Duke Street and Club Boulevard.
• Plans submitted to the city also show 374 parking spaces.

The big picture: Notably, affordable housing could be a component of the project.

• Residents of nearby Walltown, one of Durham's oldest historically Black neighborhoods, have been pushing the city and developers to include affordable housing at the former Northgate Mall property — and while that has not happened yet, these units will be within walking distance.

What they're saying: A spokesperson for Spectrum Cos. said around 20% of the units are set aside for those making 60% of the area median income, in collaboration with the Durham Housing Authority. (Median household income in Durham was around $81,000 in 2024, according to the Census Bureau.)

• A spokesperson for DHA did not confirm those details, but said in a statement the agency "cherish[es] the opportunity to work with public/private partnerships to create new opportunities for affordable housing."

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👾 The town of Apex said about 22,000 residents may have had their data compromised in a 2024 cybersecurity attack. (WRAL)

🍸 Tito's vodka was the best-selling spirit in North Carolina in 2025. (Axios)

🍔 Rock musician Robert Plant, the Led Zeppelin frontman, ate dinner at Whiskey Kitchen before his concert in Raleigh. (News & Observer)

😋 Oscar Diaz's new restaurant Adios! is now open at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Terminal 2 near Gate C17. (Instagram)

🎸 Future Islands, the band that formed at ECU, is going on a "hometown tour" of several North Carolina towns, including Carrboro and Greenville. (Pitchfork)

• Ticket presale starts today at 10am.

🍛 Dinner service starts today for the first time at James Beard-nominated chef Preeti Waas' Cheeni Indian Food Emporium at Hub RTP.

• The restaurant is part of a wave of new dining openings in Research Triangle Park.

The U.S. men's national rugby team will play two Saturday matches in North Carolina this summer.

Why it matters: More than two dozen cities across the country, including Charlotte, are vying to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup. A successful turnout during these matches will help North Carolina's case.

Driving the news: The U.S. first takes on Zimbabwe on July 11 at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte.

• On July 18, the U.S. plays Spain at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

Zoom in: The games are part of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup, which is a collaboration between World Rugby (the sport's international governing body), USA Rugby (the sport's national governing body) and TEG Rugby Live.

What's next: Tickets go on sale at 10am on April 9.

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🤞🏻The Asheville couple behind Chai Pani and Botiwalla are still in the running for the James Beard Awards' most prestigious prize, Outstanding Restaurateur.

Why it matters: Meherwan and Molly Irani are opening a Botiwalla location this spring in Raleigh Iron Works.

The latest: Several Triangle restaurants and chefs were semifinalists for various categories, but they all were shut out of the final list of nominees announced yesterday.

What's next: Winners will be revealed June 15.

The Sheraton in downtown Raleigh is set for a major renovation and will transition into a Westin hotel, its new owners have announced.

Why it matters: White Lodging, an Indiana-based hotel company, bought the 17-story Sheraton on Fayetteville Street for nearly $28 million, according to Wake County deed records.

• The renovation adds to a growing investment into hotels in downtown Raleigh, where construction is ongoing on a 600-room Omni Hotel just a block away.

What to expect: Renovations will begin in early 2027, White Lodging said.

• They'll add more meeting space and improve the guest rooms and food-and-beverage concepts. Jimmy V's Osteria is currently on the first floor of the Sheraton.