NASA's Artemis II launch countdown is underway at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, with liftoff targeted for no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT today — April 1, 2026. The weather forecast shows an 80% chance of favorable conditions.

The Crew

Four astronauts will make the journey: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The four-person crew will fly aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched atop NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

The Mission

Artemis II is a 10-day test flight that will take the crew on a trajectory around the Moon and back — no landing. The mission validates Orion's life support, navigation, and communication systems with humans aboard, setting the stage for Artemis III, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface.

This is the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972, more than 50 years ago.

Final Preparations

NASA teams spent launch day completing RS-25 engine health checks, charging crew pressure suit regulators, and preparing the ground launch sequencer — the automated system that orchestrates thousands of commands in the final minutes before liftoff.

Cryogenic propellant loading into the SLS core stage begins in the early morning hours of launch day, with full broadcast coverage starting at 12:50 p.m. EDT on NASA+ and NASA's YouTube channel.

Backup launch opportunities run through April 6, with an additional window on April 30 if needed.