NASA Gears Up for Historic Artemis II Lunar Mission Launch

Wed Apr 01 2026 14:38:25 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

NASA is set to launch its Artemis II mission, marking humanity's first return to the moon in over 50 years, with four astronauts aboard, including the first Canadian to go to the moon.

NASA has commenced fueling its Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis II mission, with an aimed liftoff in the evening. The crew, including three Americans and one Canadian, will orbit the moon and set a new distance record for human space travel. The mission, a precursor to establishing a permanent lunar base, will navigate some 4,000 miles beyond the moon before a planned Pacific splashdown.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has begun fueling its lunar rocket in preparation for the Artemis II mission, which aims for humanity's first lunar trip in over half a century, set for an evening launch. The launch team faces the challenge of loading over 700,000 gallons of fuel into the Space Launch System rocket before the Artemis II crew can board.

Commander Reid Wiseman expressed the excitement ahead of the mission, stating, It is time to fly. The launch is projected to occur under favorable weather conditions. The mission will carry three American astronauts and one Canadian, marking Jeremy Hansen as the first non-U.S. citizen to launch toward the moon.

The Artemis II crew's mission will not land on the moon, but instead will take them around it, setting a new record for the furthest humans have traveled from Earth at approximately 4,000 miles beyond the moon, before returning to a Pacific splashdown.

This mission is the first crewed flight since Apollo 17 in 1972 and sets the stage for NASA's future plans, including a permanent moon base by 2028. Significant support comes from international figures, including a message from King Charles III commending Hansen's participation as a bridge between nations and generations.