On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 22:35:12 UTC (Thursday, April 2, at 00:35:12 Polish time), a heavy-lift SLS (Space Launch System) Block 1 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with four astronauts aboard the Lockheed Martin Orion MPCV (Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle) spacecraft, bearing the proper name CM-003 Integrity, on the 10-day Artemis II mission, whose destination is lunar orbit.
Photo: NASA
The two-hour launch window opened at 22:24 UTC (00:24 Polish time). During the countdown, an issue arose with the Flight Termination System, but the countdown was not halted and, after diagnostics were carried out, launch clearance was granted.
This was the first crewed flight toward the Moon since December 1972, when Apollo 17, the sixth and final lunar landing mission of the Apollo program, landed on the surface of the Moon.
Liftoff.
The Artemis II mission launched from @NASAKennedy at 6:35pm ET (2235 UTC), propelling four astronauts on a journey around the Moon.
Artemis II will pave the way for future Moon landings, as well as the next giant leap — astronauts on Mars. pic.twitter.com/ENQA4RTqAc
— NASA (@NASA) April 1, 2026
“Today’s launch marks a defining moment for our nation and for all who believe in exploration. Artemis II builds on the vision set by President Donald J. Trump, returning humanity to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and opening the next chapter of lunar exploration beyond Apollo. Aboard Orion are four remarkable explorers preparing for the first crewed flight of this rocket and spacecraft, a true test mission that will carry them farther and faster than any humans in a generation,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the Moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our Moon Base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead.” (Ignition: NASA announces new lunar policy)
The successful launch marks the beginning of an approximately 10-day mission for NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. As NASA’s first crewed Artemis mission, one of its objectives is to demonstrate the life-support systems for the first time in flight and to lay the groundwork for a sustained presence on the Moon ahead of future missions to Mars.
After reaching space, at about the 49th minute of flight, the upper stage of the SLS Block 1 rocket released the Orion MPCV spacecraft, placing it into an elliptical Earth orbit. The spacecraft then deployed its four solar arrays, activating its own power supply, while the crew and engineers on Earth immediately began the transition from launch operations to in-flight operations in order to start checking key systems.
It is worth adding that a crucial role for the Orion spacecraft is played by the ESM-2 (European Service Module), supplied by Airbus Defence and Space. It provides propulsion consisting of 33 maneuvering thrusters as well as onboard power.
The Orion spacecraft successfully separated from the upper stage of the rocket, and the “proximity operations” test is underway. The Artemis II astronauts are manually piloting Orion similarly to how they would if they were docking with another spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/RWW4RSyaoq
— NASA (@NASA) April 2, 2026
The Artemis II crew has successfully completed the proximity operations demonstration! This test allows the astronauts to practice piloting Orion similarly to how they would if they were docking with another spacecraft — an important early test objective for the mission. pic.twitter.com/5FzBI96Lu3
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 2, 2026
Next, the spacecraft will be boosted into a high Earth orbit extending about 74,000 km (46,000 miles) above Earth, and, at a safe distance from Orion, the rocket’s upper stage will deploy four CubeSats from Argentina’s Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), and the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) to conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations.
The spacecraft will remain in high Earth orbit throughout today, during which the crew will carry out a manual piloting operation to test Orion’s capabilities. The astronauts, together with the teams at Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will continue checking the spacecraft’s systems.
If all systems are operating properly, mission controllers will command the ESM-2 module to perform the trans-lunar injection maneuver on Thursday, April 2. This will be an engine burn of about six minutes, sending the spacecraft onto a trajectory in which the crew will fly around the Moon, after which the Moon’s gravity will act like a slingshot, sending them back toward Earth.
During the planned multi-hour flyby of the Moon on Monday, April 6, the astronauts will take photographs and observe the lunar surface as the first humans to view some areas on the far side of the Moon. Although the far side will be only partially illuminated during the flyby, conditions should create shadows stretching across the surface, enhancing the topography and revealing depth, ridges, slopes, and crater rims that are often difficult to detect under full illumination. The crew’s observations and other scientific research on human health during the mission, such as AVATAR, will help form the scientific basis for future missions to the Moon.
After the successful lunar flyby, the astronauts will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
Mission Crew
Crew together / Photos: Josh Valcarcel, NASA
- Gregory Reid Wiseman (born November 11, 1975) is the mission commander, a NASA astronaut from Astronaut Group 20, and a U.S. Navy commander. He made his first spaceflight on May 28, 2014, as part of Expedition 40/41 to the International Space Station (ISS).
Gregory Reid Wiseman
- Victor Jerome Glover Jr. (born April 30, 1976) is the mission pilot, a NASA astronaut from Astronaut Group 21, a U.S. Navy commander, and a test pilot. He made his first spaceflight on October 21, 2021, as part of Expedition 64/65 to the ISS. He is the first Black astronaut assigned to a lunar mission.
Victor Jerome Glover Jr.
- Christina Hammock Koch (born January 29, 1979) is the first mission specialist, an engineer, and a NASA astronaut from Astronaut Group 21. She made her first spaceflight on March 15, 2019, as part of Expedition 59/60/61 to the ISS. She is the first woman assigned to a lunar mission.
Christina Hammock Koch
- Jeremy Roger Hansen (born January 27, 1976) is the second mission specialist, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and an astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), selected alongside NASA Astronaut Group 20. This is his first spaceflight. He is the first non-American astronaut assigned to a lunar mission.
Jeremy Roger Hansen
Andre Douglas of NASA and Jenni Gibbons of the CSA were designated as the backup crew, both serving as mission specialists.