NASA has set April 1, 2026, as the target launch date for Artemis II, the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Space Launch System rocket with Orion spacecraft will lift off at 6:24 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day flight.
Following a Flight Readiness Review on March 12, all teams polled ‘go’ pending final work, with rollout to the pad scheduled for March 19. “It’s a test flight, and it is not without risk. But our team and our hardware are ready,” stated Lori Glaze, associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development.
Previous delays stemmed from a liquid hydrogen leak during February’s wet dress rehearsal, a helium flow issue on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, and a valve problem requiring retorquing. The rocket returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 25 for repairs, including battery replacements in the flight termination system. No additional wet dress rehearsal is planned.
The crew will checkout Orion systems in Earth orbit before a three-day transit to the Moon, reaching a closest approach of 4,100 miles—traveling 252,800 miles from Earth, the farthest human spaceflight. Splashdown follows nine days later in the Pacific Ocean. Launch must occur by April 6 to meet lunar alignment, or it slips a month.
Artemis II tests SLS and Orion for future landings, now with an added 2027 mission for low-Earth orbit docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers before Artemis IV in 2028.