The Artemis II mission launched at 6:35 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to multiple sources. This historic event represents the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 completed its mission in 1972. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, embarking on a journey that could set new distance records from Earth.
Artemis II is a 10-day journey around the Moon that does not include a lunar landing, serving instead as a critical step toward a planned crewed landing in 2028. The mission could see the crew travel farther from Earth than any humans have gone before, potentially surpassing Apollo 13's record distance of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers). Artemis II is expected to exceed Apollo 13's distance by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers), following a free-return trajectory around the Moon.
With Artemis II, Canada becomes only the second nation to send an astronaut on a lunar mission, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The crew represents several historic firsts: Victor Glover will become the first person of color, Christina Koch the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-US citizen to travel beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon's vicinity, according to research from multiple sources.
The mission uses NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, which had never launched humans before, according to research. Artemis II is specifically the second flight of the Space Launch System and the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft, according to multiple reports.
NASA targeted a launch as early as Wednesday, April 1, with a two-hour window opening at 6:24 p.m. EDT, according to research. Teams at Kennedy Space Center made final preparations for launch, with an 80% chance of favorable weather on launch day, according to reports. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft were rolled to Launch Pad 39B on March 20 after delays due to high winds, and NASA completed the Artemis II Flight Readiness Review on March 12, polling 'go' to proceed toward launch, according to multiple sources.
Artemis II faced a communication problem between Eastern Range and the flight termination system before launch, causing a 'NO-GO' declaration that was later resolved, according to research. There was also a temperature spike in one of the batteries in the Launch Abort System, later determined to be a faulty sensor, according to multiple reports. NASA is troubleshooting an issue with interrupted helium flow to the SLS rocket's upper stage, potentially requiring a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building, which would mean NASA will not launch Artemis II in the March launch window but could preserve the April window, according to research.
NASA lost communication with the Orion capsule around 50 minutes into the flight, but it was quickly resolved, according to multiple reports. The crew faced problems setting up the toilet in the capsule, which was troubleshooted by Christina Koch, and astronauts experienced issues with Microsoft Outlook hours after launching, according to research.
The Orion capsule is expected to swing around the moon on Monday after launch, according to mission plans. The crew will have a roughly six-hour lunar flyby, coming within 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) of the moon, and Orion is on a 10-day mission to test safety and life-support systems, with splashdown in the Pacific on April 10. The free-return trajectory takes advantage of Earth and the moon's gravity, reducing the need for fuel, according to major media reports. The Orion capsule will whip past the moon, hang a U-turn, and head back toward Earth, taking four days to return with a splashdown in the Pacific concluding the test flight on Friday, according to major media reports.
The astronauts will split into pairs to capture lunar views during the flyby, according to research. A total solar eclipse awaits the crew as the moon blocks the sun. Wiseman and his crew spent years studying lunar geography to prepare for the flyby, adding solar eclipses to their repertoire during the past few weeks, and by launching last Wednesday, they ensured themselves of a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind the moon, according to major media reports.
A top science target is Orientale Basin, a sprawling impact basin with three concentric rings, the outermost stretching nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across, according to major media reports. Other sightseeing goals include the Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites from 1969 and 1971, respectively, and fringes of the south polar region, the preferred locale for future touchdowns. Farther afield, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Earth will be visible from the spacecraft's vantage point. NASA geologist Kelsey Young expects thousands of pictures from the mission, according to The Independent.
The crew manually took control of the Orion capsule as a test for future missions, according to research.
NASA plans to stream live views of the mission and astronauts' activities, according to research from multiple sources.
Artemis II will be followed by Artemis III, a docking test in Earth orbit planned for 2027, and Artemis IV, a crewed lunar landing planned for 2028.
There is fundamental disagreement about whether the launch has already occurred or is still pending due to technical issues, affecting understanding of the mission's current status. While multiple sources report the Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026, at 6:35 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center, other reports indicate NASA is troubleshooting an issue with interrupted helium flow that could require a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building, meaning NASA will not launch in the March window. Similarly, confusion exists about the mission's duration and schedule, with some reports describing Artemis II as launching last week with a lunar flyby on Monday, while others specify it is a 10-day journey with splashdown on April 10.
The exact current status of the Artemis II launch remains unclear—whether it has occurred as reported by some sources or is delayed due to technical issues like the helium flow problem. Specific technical problems, including communication failures and system malfunctions, are affecting the mission, but their full resolution status is not confirmed. The implications of a potential rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building for future launch windows and mission timelines could be significant, potentially delaying subsequent Artemis missions if not resolved promptly.