Artemis II is now set to launch in April 2026, marking humanity’s first crewed journey beyond low-earth orbit since Apollo 17, testing systems and procedures essential for future lunar exploration.

Their rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), rolled back from Launch Complex-39B (LC-39B) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. It’s now safely tucked inside the VAB’s High Bay 3, where engineers will begin work to address issues on the rocket’s upper stage, in an area inaccessible out at the pad.

The 4-mile trek from the launch pad took about 10.5 hours.

The rollback was a setback for NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, which will launch NASA astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon and back to Earth. 

NASA had been targeting a launch window that opened March 6 to get the mission off the ground, but a helium flow malfunction, which spurred the rollback to the VAB, has pushed that date to no sooner than April.

Mission Overview

Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a free-return lunar trajectory, orbiting the Moon and returning to Earth over roughly 10 days. The mission will not land on the Moon but will test life-support systems, spacecraft performance, and crew operations in deep space. Key mission phases include: 

Earth Orbit Checkouts: Orion spacecraft will orbit Earth twice to verify systems.

Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI): Orion will fire its main engine to set course for the Moon.

Lunar Flyby: Crew will pass approximately 4,600 miles beyond the lunar far side, experiencing about 40 minutes of radio silence.

Return to Earth: Orion will re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. 

The Artemis II crew consists of:

Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA) – veteran of ISS Expedition 41 and former Chief of the Astronaut Office.

Pilot Victor Glover (NASA) – first Black astronaut to fly a lunar mission; pilot of SpaceX Crew-1.

Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA) – first woman to travel to lunar distance; holds record for longest single spaceflight by a woman.

Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (CSA) – first Canadian to travel to the Moon; former fighter pilot. 

Spacecraft and Launch Vehicle

• Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1: 322 feet tall, producing 8.8 million pounds of thrust, with two five-segment solid rocket boosters. 
• Orion Spacecraft: Equipped with the European Service Module (ESM) for life support, propulsion, and consumables. Orion will provide radiation shielding and environmental control for the crew during deep-space operations. 
• Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS): Executes the TLI burn to send Orion toward the Moon.

Recent Preparations

NASA successfully completed a wet dress rehearsal in February 2026, simulating fueling and countdown procedures up to T-minus 29 seconds. This rehearsal confirmed the readiness of the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems, although minor issues like hydrogen leaks required adjustments and a second rehearsal before final launch. 

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1

Last Sunday, Firefly, an American private company, successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon, marking only the second private mission to achieve this milestone.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 touched down at 3:34 am US Eastern Time (0834 GMT) near Mons Latreille, a volcanic formation in Mare Crisium on the Moon’s north-eastern near side.

The mission control team in Austin, Texas, erupted in cheers as CEO Jason Kim confirmed that the spacecraft was “stable and upright.”  Blue Ghost’s program manager, Ray Allensworth, highlighted the precision of the landing, noting it touched down within 100 meters of its target.  That stood in stark contrast to the first private lunar landing last February, which toppled over upon arrival, dulling the achievement of being the first US Moon touchdown since the crewed Apollo 17 mission of 1972.

“We’re on the Moon!” exclaimed Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.  “We did do two hazard avoidance maneuvers on the way down — that tells us that our software worked exactly as it needed to,” she told reporters.

The first image from the lander revealed rugged, pockmarked terrain that Blue Ghost had to autonomously navigate during its final descent, slowing from thousands of miles per hour to just two mph.

Buzz Aldrin

95-year-old Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin joined the celebration from home, posting his congratulations on X along with a video of himself in pajamas, beaming and flashing a thumbs-up at the webcast.

Blue Ghost Mission