Artemis II is part of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program.
ESA Human Spaceflight listed Artemis II launch windows in Central European Summer Time for 2 April, 3 April, 4 April, 5 April, 6 April, and 7 April 2026.
If Artemis II launches as planned at 18:24 local time on April 1, it will be the first crewed mission in more than 50 years to leave low Earth orbit for the Moon.
The Artemis II crew is scheduled to return to quarantine on March 18.
Artemis II will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a nine-day mission around the Moon.
A NASA Office of Inspector General audit estimated the risk of loss of crew for Artemis II at 1 in 30.
Artemis II is expected to fly about 405,000 kilometers from Earth.
NASA completed the Artemis II flight readiness review on March 12 and cleared the SLS rocket and Orion capsule for a launch on April 1.
Artemis II is intended to test life support and deep-space navigation systems.
Artemis II was delayed by hydrogen leaks and a helium flow failure in the upper stage that forced removal of the rocket from the pad and return to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
NASA will skip a new wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II and load propellant for the first time on launch day.
NASA concluded the Flight Readiness Review for Artemis II and is preparing for the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years.
If successful, Artemis II will pave the way for future missions that aim to land astronauts on the lunar surface and establish a sustained human presence around the Moon.
Additional work for Artemis II included replacing flight termination system batteries, servicing Orion spacecraft components, and completing training exercises for launch crews.
Artemis II will be the first crewed lunar flight since the Apollo programme.
Artemis II will send four astronauts—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—on a journey around the Moon and back to Earth.
Astronauts assigned to Artemis II will begin a pre-launch quarantine around March 18 and will travel to Kennedy Space Center approximately five days before launch.
NASA is targeting April 1, 2026 for the Artemis II launch with an alternate opportunity on April 2, pending completion of final preparations at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Flight controllers in Mission Control Houston trained alongside the astronauts through extensive simulations in preparation for Artemis II.
Norm Knight is NASA’s Director of Flight Operations overseeing flight controller preparedness for Artemis II.