Artemis II: NASA’s Crewed Moon Mission – Launch Date & How to Watch from Mexico

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA is poised to launch the Artemis II mission on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, marking the first crewed flight to orbit the Moon in over 50 years. The mission aims to test critical systems with humans onboard, paving the way for future lunar surface missions and, journeys to Mars.

The launch window opens at 4:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time, with coverage beginning at 11:00 AM EDT, according to NASA. The launch will originate from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A two-hour window allows for flexibility based on technical checks and weather conditions.

Artemis II will carry a crew of four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – aboard the Orion spacecraft, propelled by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Unlike the uncrewed Artemis I mission, this flight will assess the performance of life support systems and other critical functions with a human crew. The mission profile involves a lunar flyby, taking the crew further from Earth than any humans have traveled since the Apollo program.

“Artemis II will be a momentous step forward for human spaceflight,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated, as reported by Space.com. “This historic mission will send humans farther from Earth than ever before and deliver the insights needed for us to return to the moon — all with America at the helm.”

The Artemis II crew will not land on the Moon. Instead, they will follow a trajectory that loops around the lunar far side before returning to Earth. This approach allows NASA to validate the Orion spacecraft’s capabilities and the SLS rocket’s performance in a deep space environment without the complexities of a landing. The ten-day mission will focus on verifying the spacecraft’s systems, including navigation, communication, and life support, under real-world flight conditions.

This mission builds upon the foundation laid by the Apollo program, but with key differences. Artemis II reflects a more diverse astronaut corps, including the first woman and the first person of color to travel to lunar orbit. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft represent a recent generation of space technology, designed for sustainable lunar exploration and future missions to Mars. According to NASA, Orion is “developed to be capable of sending astronauts to the Moon and is a crucial step toward eventually sending crews on to Mars.”

Artemis II is a crucial stepping stone towards Artemis III, which is planned to land astronauts on the lunar surface. The success of Artemis II will be vital in confirming the readiness of the systems and procedures for that more ambitious undertaking. NASA has not yet announced a target date for Artemis III.