Around the Moon in 10 days: Countdown begins for NASA's Artemis II launch — liftoff time, crew, mission details and more

What Happened

• NASA's Artemis II mission is scheduled for launch on April 1, 2026, from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a targeted liftoff time of 6:24 p.m. EDT.
• The 32-story Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — with the Orion spacecraft atop — has been rolled out to Launch Pad 39B, with the countdown clock started as of March 30, 2026.
• The four-person crew: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), and Christina Koch (Mission Specialist 1), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist 2).
• Artemis II will be the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — over 53 years — marking Victor Glover as the first person of colour, Christina Koch as the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen as the first non-American citizen to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
• The mission is a 10-day free-return trajectory around the Moon — similar to the figure-eight route used by Apollo 13 — and will not land on the lunar surface; it tests the Orion spacecraft's life support, navigation, and communication systems with crew aboard before Artemis III (planned lunar landing).
• Backup launch windows extend through April 2–6 and April 30, 2026.

Static Topic Bridges

The Space Launch System (SLS): America's Deep Space Rocket

The Space Launch System is NASA's primary heavy-lift rocket designed to carry the Orion spacecraft and crew beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Developed under the Constellation/SLS programme, it builds on heritage hardware from the Space Shuttle programme: its core stage uses four RS-25 engines (the same engines that powered the Space Shuttle Main Engine) and is flanked by two five-segment solid rocket boosters derived from the Space Shuttle's SRBs. At launch, SLS Block 1 generates over 8.8 million pounds of thrust — 15% more than the Saturn V that carried Apollo missions to the Moon. The rocket stands approximately 98 metres (322 feet) tall with the Orion spacecraft and launch abort system. It is capable of delivering more than 27 metric tonnes to trans-lunar injection trajectories. The first test flight (Artemis I) was conducted uncrewed on November 16, 2022.

The Orion Spacecraft: Designed for Deep Space Human Travel

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is NASA's spacecraft for carrying astronauts to deep space destinations including the Moon, cislunar space, and eventually Mars. It consists of four main components: a crew module (built by Lockheed Martin) that can carry up to 4 astronauts; a service module (built by the European Space Agency's EADS Astrium) that provides propulsion, power, water, oxygen, and nitrogen; a spacecraft adapter connecting Orion to SLS; and a launch abort system that can pull the crew module away from the rocket in less than a second in case of an emergency during launch. Orion can sustain a crew in deep space for up to 21 days (extendable with additional modules) and is capable of withstanding re-entry heating of over 2,700°C through its AVCOAT heat shield. The spacecraft's design draws lessons from both the Apollo programme and the Space Shuttle.

The Artemis Programme and Lunar Return Strategy

The Artemis programme is NASA's plan to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable human presence in cislunar space. Named after the Greek goddess of the moon (and twin of Apollo), it is structured in sequential missions: Artemis I (uncrewed lunar orbit, 2022) → Artemis II (crewed lunar flyby, 2026) → Artemis III (crewed lunar landing, planned 2027-2028) → Artemis IV and beyond (lunar Gateway outpost construction). The programme includes major international partnerships through the Artemis Accords — a framework establishing principles for responsible space exploration that over 40 nations have signed. Artemis aims to land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon, establishing a permanent human presence near the lunar south pole where water ice deposits have been confirmed by missions including Chandrayaan-1 (India), LRO, and LCROSS.

India's Space Programme and Lunar Exploration

India's space agency ISRO has been an active participant in lunar exploration and has a growing stake in the global space architecture. Chandrayaan-1 (2008) carried a NASA payload that confirmed water ice on the lunar surface — a discovery directly relevant to the Artemis programme's focus on the lunar south pole. Chandrayaan-2 (2019) successfully placed an orbiter around the Moon but saw its Vikram lander crash. Chandrayaan-3 (August 2023) achieved a soft landing near the lunar south pole, making India only the fourth country to achieve a lunar soft landing and the first to land near the south pole. India signed the Artemis Accords in March 2023, signalling alignment with the US-led framework for lunar exploration. ISRO is developing the Gaganyaan programme for human spaceflight and has discussions with NASA for potential future collaborative crewed missions.

Key Facts & Data

• Launch date: April 1, 2026 (backup windows April 2–6 and April 30)
• Launch time: 6:24 p.m. EDT
• Launch site: Launch Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida
• Crew: Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch (Mission Spec 1), Jeremy Hansen (Mission Spec 2, CSA)
• Mission duration: ~10 days (free-return trajectory around the Moon)
• SLS height: ~98 metres ("32-story"); thrust: 8.8 million+ pounds at launch (15% more than Saturn V)
• First crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 (December 1972) — 53+ year gap
• Artemis II firsts: first woman (Koch), first person of colour (Glover), first non-American (Hansen) beyond LEO
• Artemis I (Nov 2022): uncrewed lunar orbit test of SLS + Orion — successful
• India's relevance: signed Artemis Accords (June 2023); Chandrayaan-3 landed near target Artemis south pole region (Aug 2023)