Four astronauts — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — are preparing to launch on Artemis II, with liftoff possible as early as Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 p.m. Eastern. A live webcast is scheduled to begin at 12:50 p.m. Eastern for viewers who want to follow events leading up to the attempt.
An Orion crew capsule mounted on a 322-foot rocket will roll out of Kennedy Space Center in Florida and, if everything goes to plan, carry the four crewmembers on a trip around the moon and back. A successful flight would mark the first time humans have traveled to the lunar vicinity in more than 50 years.
Artemis II is the first crewed mission in NASA’s Artemis program. It follows Artemis I, a 2022 uncrewed test that sent an empty Orion on a multi-week circuit around the moon. On Artemis II the crew will first perform systems checks while orbiting Earth, then follow a trans-lunar trajectory that traces a figure-eight around the moon before returning home. Mission planners expect the round trip to take just under 10 days.
The mission is a critical stepping stone toward NASA’s broader objective of landing astronauts on the lunar surface again and ultimately establishing a sustained presence on the moon with international partners.
NASA and launch-support teams are watching the weather closely. Mark Burger, a launch weather officer with the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, said there was roughly an 80% chance of favorable weather for the planned launch window, though forecasts will continue to be monitored.
Veteran launch director Jeff Spaulding said the emotional weight of sending people to the moon will likely become most real in the final minute before ignition, when the firing room quiets and the countdown hits zero. After liftoff, he added, the room usually erupts in noise and celebration.
The flight also evokes memories of Apollo-era astronauts. Gene Cernan, who left the last human footprints on the moon in December 1972, is often remembered for his farewell wish that humanity return to the moon “with peace and hope for all mankind.” Artemis II aims to take the next step toward fulfilling that long-held goal.