Cape Canaveral, Fla. — NASA launch teams at Kennedy Space Center continued final preparations April 1, 2026, for the Artemis II mission as the countdown advanced toward a targeted liftoff no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B.
The mission will send four astronauts on the first crewed flight around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch of NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency are scheduled for an approximately 10-day journey that will test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft ahead of future lunar landings.
Weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 reported an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions for the two-hour launch window. Primary concerns remained cumulus clouds, ground winds and solar weather. Teams continued monitoring forecasts throughout the day.
Engineers completed critical health checks on the rocket’s four RS-25 engines, confirming sensors, connections and diagnostics performed as expected. The interim cryogenic propulsion stage was powered down into a safe configuration after earlier verification activities. Orion spacecraft flight batteries reached full charge to support avionics, life support and communications. Core stage flight batteries also underwent charging.
Teams performed regulator leak checks on the astronauts’ pressure suits inside Orion to verify airtight seals and pressure control systems. These checks ensure readiness in the unlikely event of cabin depressurization.
In the evening hours, engineers shifted the pad environment to its final configuration. Non-essential personnel departed the area, leaving only required specialists for remaining prelaunch tasks. This step minimized risk ahead of cryogenic loading.
Early on launch day, teams planned to activate the ground launch sequencer, an automated system that will orchestrate thousands of commands in the final minutes before liftoff. Engineers also scheduled the air-to-gaseous nitrogen changeover inside the rocket’s cavities to create a stable, non-reactive environment by displacing oxygen and moisture.
NASA broadcast coverage of tanking operations begins at 7:45 a.m. EDT on NASA’s YouTube channel. Full launch coverage starts at 12:50 p.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime and YouTube.
The countdown clock began ticking Monday afternoon, March 30, at 4:44 p.m. EDT after a successful L-2 briefing. Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and teams polled “go” to proceed.
Artemis II represents a major step in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence for future Mars missions. The flight will send the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, on a trajectory that loops around Earth and the Moon, reaching a maximum distance of more than 252,000 statute miles from Earth on certain dates within the window.
Southern Maryland residents, many with ties to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt and historical connections to the space program through Patuxent River Naval Air Station, follow the mission closely. The region has long supported aerospace activities, with local engineers, contractors and families contributing to or watching NASA launches for decades.
The crew’s diverse backgrounds highlight the international and inclusive nature of modern space exploration. Glover will become the first Black astronaut to travel to deep space. Koch will be the first woman on a lunar mission. Hansen will be the first Canadian and non-NASA astronaut on such a flight. Wiseman, a veteran Navy test pilot, will command the mission.
No technical issues were reported as of the latest updates. Teams focused on choreographed steps to ready the 322-foot-tall SLS rocket and Orion for the crewed journey.
