Today, April 1, 2026, NASA is making history. The Artemis II mission — the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — is scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center this evening, targeting liftoff no earlier than 6:24 PM EDT. For anyone who has ever looked up at the moon and wondered what it would feel like to leave Earth’s orbit, today is a day that will be remembered for generations.
The Crew: Four Astronauts Ready to Make History
The Artemis II crew is composed of four extraordinary individuals, each of whom is breaking new ground in human spaceflight:
- Reid Wiseman (Commander) — A US Navy captain and veteran astronaut, Wiseman is responsible for the overall safety and success of the mission. His calm, meticulous leadership style has been central to the crew’s preparation.
- Victor Glover (Pilot) — As pilot, Glover is responsible for operating the Orion spacecraft. He will also make history as the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit — a milestone of profound significance for NASA and for America.
- Christina Koch (Mission Specialist) — Koch is the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit, and she brings an extraordinary depth of spaceflight experience, including a record-breaking stint on the International Space Station. Her inclusion in this crew is a defining moment for gender diversity in space exploration.
- Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist, CSA) — The Canadian Space Agency astronaut will become the first non-American citizen to travel to the vicinity of the Moon, representing Canada’s deepening partnership with NASA and the broader international scope of the Artemis programme.
What Is Artemis II? The Mission Explained
Artemis II is the second flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) — the most powerful rocket ever built — and the first time the Orion spacecraft will carry a human crew. The mission is a ten-day flight that will take the crew on a free-return trajectory around the Moon, flying closer to the lunar surface than any humans have been since the final Apollo mission over fifty years ago, before using the Moon’s gravity to sling them back towards Earth.
Crucially, Artemis II does not include a lunar landing. That milestone is reserved for Artemis III, which is expected to put the first woman and the next man on the Moon’s surface, targeting the lunar south pole. Artemis II is the essential dress rehearsal — testing the Orion spacecraft, the life support systems, the navigation procedures, and the crew’s ability to operate as a unit in deep space.
Why This Mission Matters
The last time humans left Earth’s orbit was December 1972, when Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ron Evans completed humanity’s sixth and final Moon landing. For more than five decades, every human spaceflight has remained within low Earth orbit — the International Space Station circles roughly 420 kilometres above the planet’s surface, well within the protective shield of Earth’s magnetosphere.
Artemis II changes that. When the Orion capsule reaches the Moon’s vicinity, the crew will be roughly 370,000 kilometres from home — further from Earth than any humans have travelled in living memory. The psychological and physiological experience of looking back at a small, fragile blue dot against the infinite black is one that only 24 people in history have had. Today, that number grows by four.
How to Watch the Artemis II Launch
NASA is providing live coverage of the Artemis II launch via NASA TV and its official YouTube channel. Launch is targeted for 6:24 PM EDT (11:24 PM BST for UK viewers). Weather forecasts show an 80% chance of favourable conditions, with the primary concerns being cumulus clouds and ground winds. A final weather assessment will be conducted in the hours before launch.
For those in Florida, viewing areas near the Kennedy Space Center and along the Space Coast offer spectacular sightlines for the SLS launch, which produces an enormous plume visible for dozens of miles.
The Road to Artemis III and a Lunar Landing
Should Artemis II proceed successfully, NASA and its international partners — including the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency — will move forward with Artemis III, the first crewed lunar landing of the 21st century. That mission will use the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System to put astronauts on the surface for the first time since 1972.
Today, though, belongs to Artemis II. Watch history unfold tonight.