NASA Targets April 1 Launch for Artemis II Crewed Moon Mission

ORLANDO — NASA is targeting April 1 for the launch of its Artemis II mission following a critical pre-flight review that cleared the path for the first crewed journey around the moon in more than five decades.

The decision came after an extensive flight readiness review in which mission managers evaluated the status of the spacecraft, launch systems, and operational plans. After reviewing the data, all teams involved in the mission gave the approval to proceed toward launch.

“All the teams polled ‘go’ to launch and fly Artemis II around the moon,” said Lori Glaze of NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate during a briefing following the review.

The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. The four astronauts attended the flight readiness review as part of the final preparations for the historic mission.

NASA had originally planned to launch Artemis II earlier in the month. However, engineers identified a technical issue during a fueling test conducted in February involving the rocket’s helium system. The system is responsible for regulating pressure within the vehicle’s fuel tanks, making it a critical component of the launch infrastructure.

To address the issue, mission managers decided to roll the rocket back into the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Technicians replaced a faulty seal in the helium system, resolving the problem after detailed inspection and repair work.

With the repair complete, ground crews are preparing to move the rocket back to its launch pad to resume final launch preparations. Officials cautioned that several tasks remain before liftoff can be confirmed.

“Keep in mind we still have work to go. There are still things that need to be done within the VAB and out at the pad,” Glaze said, emphasizing that mission teams will continue to rely on system data to determine readiness. “We will launch when we are ready.”

Under the current schedule, the Artemis II crew will enter quarantine at NASA Johnson Space Center on March 18 before traveling to Florida on March 27 for final launch preparations.

NASA has identified a launch window running from April 1 through April 6. If successful, Artemis II will become the first crewed mission to fly around the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, marking a major milestone in the Artemis program’s effort to return humans to lunar exploration and pave the way for future missions to the moon and eventually Mars.