GoKawiilAre you ready for a bona fide moon shot? The upcoming Artemis II mission is one of the most exciting space excursions in recent memory. It'll be the first time humans have flown to the moon since December 1972, when the landmark Apollo program wrapped up, and NASA began shifting focus toward the space shuttles that would stay closer to home in Earth orbit.
Artemis II is a chance for NASA to gather valuable new data from a spaceflight of this magnitude and to continue testing its new Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft that will carry the astronauts. The 10-day mission will be a flyby for those four humans -- an actual moon landing is planned for the Artemis IV mission -- but there will be plenty of drama nonetheless.
The launch is now scheduled for April 1 after NASA scrapped plans for launch dates in February and March. NASA has the rocket in place and is rigorously testing it to ensure that it's ready for the journey. Orion is in its final preparation stages, and apart from some final tests, everything is ready to go.
The two-hour launch window is targeted to begin at 6:24 p.m. ET next Wednesday, with additional opportunities running through Monday, April 6.
The mission is crewed by commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Wiseman, Glover and Koch are American. Hansen is Canadian and will be the first from his country to travel to the moon.
While we don't yet know the exact launch date, we do know what's going to happen. After liftoff, the Orion spacecraft will maneuver into orbit, head to the moon, slingshot around it, and return home as Earth's gravity pulls it back. This launch is now over eight years in the making, and the big moment is very close.
The Orion spacecraft needed some heat shield improvements, given the damage sustained during Artemis I. NASA
The Artemis II launch in April
The original launch window (PDF) for Artemis II had been Feb. 8 to 13, but NASA crossed that out following a fueling test of the rocket known as a wet dress rehearsal. It subsequently scratched fallback launch dates in March. Now the Artemis II launch window is April 1 to 6 and April 30. The time of day varies, but NASA is aiming for an evening liftoff, so prepare to watch either during or after dinner.
On the launch date, Artemis II will lift off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Space Launch System, NASA's super heavy-lift rocket and the primary launch vehicle for the Artemis program, will produce more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch Orion and the crew into space.
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