Florida,March,28,2026: The NASA Artemis rocket launch for the Artemis II Moon mission is scheduled for April 1, 2026, with live coverage planned for all major mission events. NASA will broadcast prelaunch, launch, and mission activities through its official platforms.
NASA announced that Artemis II will be the first crewed mission under the Artemis program, sending four astronauts on a journey around the Moon. The mission will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida using the Space Launch System rocket.
The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission is expected to last approximately 10 days and will test the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems with humans onboard for the first time.
NASA will begin launch day coverage on April 1, starting with rocket fueling operations in the morning, followed by full launch coverage in the afternoon. A post launch news conference will take place after the Orion spacecraft is sent toward high Earth orbit.
Throughout the mission, NASA will provide continuous updates, live streams, and mission briefings. Live downlink events featuring communication with astronauts will take place on multiple days during the mission.
During the lunar flyby on April 6, the Orion spacecraft is expected to travel farther from Earth than the Apollo 13 record distance of 248655 miles. NASA also noted that communication may be temporarily lost when the spacecraft passes behind the Moon.
The mission is scheduled to end on April 10 with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, followed by a post splashdown news conference at NASA Johnson Space Center.
NASA stated that Artemis missions are part of its long term plan to explore the Moon and prepare for future human missions to Mars.
