The Digester

Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a record-setting lunar flyby; NASA aims for April 1 but says technical and safety risks remain.

NASA is targeting April 1, 2026 at 6:24 PM EDT for Artemis II with a backup on April 2 at 7:22 PM EDT and additional early April launch windows.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts—Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen—on an Orion crewed flyby launched by the Space Launch System rocket.
The mission will send humans farther from Earth than any previous flight.
NASA officials say astronaut safety is the priority but acknowledge the mission still carries substantial risk and uncertainty based on test data.
A helium flow blockage found during a wet dress rehearsal has been fixed after earlier hydrogen leaks, and NASA plans to roll the rocket back to the pad around March 19 while likely skipping another full wet dress rehearsal.
Artemis III has been scaled back to another orbital mission with a crewed lunar landing now targeted for Artemis IV in 2028, and the Office of the Inspector General flagged gaps in risk reduction for crew survival.

NASA targets April 1 for Artemis II moon launch attempt but warns risks remain