Tonight, if all goes to plan, history will be made above Cape Canaveral. NASA’s Artemis II mission — carrying four astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the Moon — is scheduled to lift off at 6:24 PM Eastern Time on 1 April 2026. It will be the first time human beings have left low Earth orbit since the final Apollo mission in December 1972, and the significance of that fact is hard to overstate.
The Crew
The four-person crew represents the breadth of the international space community. Commander Reid Wiseman leads the mission, with Victor Glover serving as pilot. Mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen round out the team. When Artemis II successfully launches, Victor Glover will become the first person of colour to travel beyond low Earth orbit, Christina Koch will become the first woman to do so, and Jeremy Hansen — from the Canadian Space Agency — will become the first non-American to journey to the vicinity of the Moon.
These are not merely symbolic distinctions. They represent a genuine opening up of humanity’s reach into deep space, moving beyond the Apollo era’s all-American, predominantly white male astronaut corps towards something that genuinely reflects the diversity of our species.
What Is a Free-Return Trajectory?
Artemis II is not a landing mission — that comes with Artemis III, currently scheduled for 2027. Instead, the crew will fly around the Moon on a free-return trajectory, meaning the spacecraft will use the Moon’s gravity to slingshot back towards Earth without requiring a powered burn. This approach is similar to the path taken by Apollo 13, and it serves primarily as a flight test for the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket in a deep-space environment.
The ten-day mission will take the crew approximately 6,400 kilometres beyond the far side of the Moon at its furthest point — deeper into space than any human has ever travelled.
The Role of the European Space Agency
While no British or European astronaut is on the Artemis II crew, the European Space Agency (ESA) has a significant stake in the mission’s success. ESA has been responsible for building the European Service Module (ESM) — the component of the Orion spacecraft that provides propulsion, power, air, and water — for all Artemis missions. This is a major technological and financial contribution that reflects Europe’s deep investment in the future of human space exploration.
ESA astronauts are scheduled to fly on subsequent Artemis missions, and there is growing expectation in the UK space sector that a British astronaut could join a future lunar mission, particularly as the UK Space Agency continues to grow its profile and investment in human spaceflight programmes.
The UK Space Sector’s Perspective
For the British space industry — which has been growing rapidly in recent years, particularly around satellite manufacturing, launch services from Sutherland and Cornwall, and deep-space science missions — Artemis represents a significant moment. The prospect of regular crewed missions to the Moon and eventually Mars opens up enormous commercial and scientific opportunities.
Companies across the UK supply chain have already benefited from Artemis-related contracts, and the hope is that a successful Artemis II will accelerate further investment and collaboration. Science Minister Jo Churchill has spoken about Britain’s ambitions in space on several occasions, emphasising the government’s commitment to maintaining a leading role in international space ventures.
Scientific Goals
Beyond the engineering objectives of testing Orion in deep space, Artemis II will carry a suite of scientific instruments designed to gather data on deep-space radiation exposure — a critical consideration for future long-duration missions. Understanding how human biology responds to the radiation environment beyond Earth’s protective magnetosphere is one of the key challenges that must be addressed before a crewed Mars mission becomes feasible.
How to Watch the Launch
The Artemis II launch can be watched live on NASA’s website and YouTube channel, as well as via the NASA+ streaming service. Coverage begins several hours before the scheduled launch window. In the UK, the launch will take place in the early hours of Thursday morning (approximately 11:24 PM BST), which means dedicated space enthusiasts will need to set their alarms for a late-night viewing session.
Whatever time you watch it, this is a moment worth staying up for. The return of humans to deep space is not just a NASA achievement — it is a milestone for all of humanity.