The NASA confirmed preparations for official coverage of the mission Artemis II, the first manned voyage of the program that will take humanity return to the moon.
The US space agency published a full schedule of events, press conferences and live broadcasts that will allow audiences around the world to witness this historic milestone.
What is NASA’s Artemis?
Artemis is NASA’s lunar exploration program with which the agency seeks to return to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17in 1972. NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly complex missions to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefit, and for lay the foundation of the first manned missions to Mars.
The program is structured into progressive missions. The first, Artemis I (2022)was an unmanned test flight of the Orion spacecraft. Artemis II represents the next step: the first mission with humans on board.
When are they going to launch Artemis II?
Artemis II It is NASA’s first manned mission under the Artemis program and will take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover y Christina Kochalong with the astronaut Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), on a trip of approximately 10 days around the Moon.
Taking off aboard the rocket Space Launch System (SLS)the agency will for the first time test the life support systems of the Orion spacecraft with humans on board, in order to lay the foundation for future manned missions of the Artemis program.
The launch of the SLS rocket is scheduled for Wednesday April 1, 2026. The takeoff window will last two hours and will open at exactly 6:24 pm EDT from pad 39B. In case of adverse weather conditions or technical adjustments, there are additional launch opportunities until the Monday April 6.
The crew is expected to surpass the record for the furthest distance from Earth reached by humans, previously set by Apollo 13 at 400,171 kilometers (248,655 miles) from Earth. The mission will conclude on Friday, April 10 with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Official NASA timeline
NASA established a detailed schedule of events, press conferences and live broadcasts. Briefings, events and continuous 24-hour coverage of the mission will be broadcast on the channel YouTube from the agency. Coverage of the launch, lunar flyby and splashdown will also be available through NASA+ y Amazon Prime.
Sunday March 29
At 9:30 am, the crew will virtually answer questions from journalists from their quarantine center. At 2:00 pm, the NASA will offer a press conference on the status of preparations for the launch.
Monday March 30
At 5:00 pm, after a key mission meeting, the NASA will hold a press conference to provide an update on the status of preparations.
Tuesday March 31
A at 1:00 pm, at NASA will hold a press conference prior to launch to report the status of the countdown.
Wednesday, April 1 — Launch Day
At 7:45 a.m.coverage of refueling operations on the SLS rocket will begin, with views of the rocket and commentary from a narrator.
A las 12:40 p.m., coverage of the launch will begin on NASA+, with continuation on YouTube once the Orion spacecraft’s solar panels are deployed in space.
At 4:45 p.m.coverage of the launch in Spanish will begin on NASA’s Spanish YouTube channel and on NASA+, streaming until approximately 15 minutes after liftoff.
Approximately two and a half hours after launch, NASA will hold a post-liftoff press conference, featuring the administrator Jared Isaacmanamong other officials.
Thursday, April 2 — Heading to the Moon
At 8:30 p.m., there will be a media briefing on the mission statusafter the translunar orbital injection maneuver to take the Orion crew to the Moon.
Monday, April 6 — Lunar flyby
At 12:45 pm, coverage of the lunar flyby on NASA+. Video transmission could be limited while the spacecraft goes through an eclipse, and a loss of communications is also expected as Orion flies behind the far side of the Moon.
Thursday, April 9 — Crew Conference
At 5:59 pm, the crew will offer a press conference from spacefollowed by a live streaming event.
Friday, April 10 — Return to Earth
At 6:30 p.m., NASA+ coverage for the return of the crew. At 8:06 pm, splashdown will occur in the Pacific Ocean, where NASA and War Department personnel will assist the crew in exiting the Orion spacecraft and transferring them to a recovery ship. At 10:35 p.m., a post-landing press conference will be held from the Johnson Space Center.
To follow Orion’s trajectory in real time throughout the mission, NASA enabled an online tracker on NASA.gov/trackartemis. All times are US Eastern Time (EDT) and are subject to change based on business developments.
