NASA prepares for Artemis II moon mission launch

The mission is scheduled to lift off today, April 1, 2026, at 6:24 PM EDT from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B.

[{"selector":"#anim-a3ed70f5-5b10-4f90-a5a7-938ffb763abe","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3cd81999-651c-4030-b698-679820019891","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.87301%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen (CSA) form the first multinational lunar crew.

[{"selector":"#anim-37c9deb1-d721-4103-8818-76384f0b5038","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-57fc1571-c00d-46f1-9811-d7e49368a8a7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-109.66767%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The mission includes the first woman (Koch), the first person of color (Glover), and the first non-American (Hansen) to travel to the lunar vicinity.

[{"selector":"#anim-518f27cf-e2cd-4fee-84bc-352d16ed6bbc","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c21db8ec-0307-42c7-918d-96bf7c5aff71","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-109.66767%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

This is the first crewed mission to the Moon since the conclusion of the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.

[{"selector":"#anim-4ac8eb81-f489-429a-8311-416a0d5a31d9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4ed0ac32-2bcb-4dd0-9921-420b41013217","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-109.66767%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The primary goal is to verify that Orion’s life-support, communication, and navigation systems can safely sustain humans in deep space.

[{"selector":"#anim-08b97ed3-70e2-4cb0-8076-45a9ff3892ea","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-28621265-ab36-474c-8794-3c126f8da569","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-109.66767%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The crew will travel approximately 4,700 miles (7,600 km) beyond the far side of the Moon, further than any human has ever ventured.

[{"selector":"#anim-a9ea8972-823d-4776-b4b8-781001ccc461","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7704d73a-3fe1-40e6-9e21-4f30d867dcd2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-109.66767%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will use a "free-return" path, utilizing the Moon's gravity to naturally pull the spacecraft back toward Earth.

[{"selector":"#anim-8a1b8add-394c-4d2c-80c8-7cbf353182bb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-300a763f-c09f-4666-80e0-aa73b2450c80","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-109.66767%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Upon return, the Orion capsule will hit Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 mph, testing the heat shield against temperatures nearing 5,000°F.

[{"selector":"#anim-a12e436c-96b3-4048-a422-d017059e84f2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ccfa7ee0-6dc3-474c-a433-0c7a682d8859","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-112.38671%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]