Artemis II sits in the Vehicle Assembly Building on Jan. 16 at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
Long delayed by a series of technical challenges, NASA is now preparing to launch Artemis II on April 1 in its first human mission to fly around the moon in more than 50 years.
The mission will send four astronauts, including Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day journey with the aim of opening a new and sustained future for exploration and development on the moon.
Here’s what you need to know about the Artemis II mission, its astronauts, its delays and expected launch times.
What is the Artemis II moon mission?
A half moon rises as the Artemis I unmanned lunar rocket prepares to lift off from pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Nov. 16, 2022.JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
Artemis II is the first mission in more than 50 years that is planned to take astronauts further than about 400 kilometres above Earth’s surface – the orbiting altitude of the International Space Station.
It will mark the first crewed launch of the 98-metre-tall rocket – known as the Space Launch System or SLS – carrying the Orion crew capsule with astronauts on board.
The goal of Artemis II is to send four astronauts on a looping trajectory around the moon’s far side. During the 10-day trip, crew members will monitor the performance of their Orion capsule, and potentially see regions of the lunar surface that have not yet been glimpsed by human eyes. NASA has released the mission agenda, outlining the crew’s schedule on launch day and each day of the 10-day journey.
Artemis II
flight path
Orion will travel more than
400,000 km from Earth and
could set a new record for
the farthest humans have
ever gone into space
Moon
Outbound
Lift-off from Cape Canaveral
Two minutes after launch, boosters
separate followed by launch abort system
Eight minutes after launch ICPS and Orion
separate from Core stage. Orion’s solar
arrays unfurl
After 90-minute orbit, ICPS fires engines
to raise Orion to higher Earth orbit.
Crew begins multiple system checks
If everything is in order, Orion separates
from ICPS.Then, astronauts manually fly
Orion toward and away from ICPS, practising
proximity operations for future missions
Around 23 hours later, Orion Service Module
carries out Translunar Injection (TLI) burn –
sending Orion on a trajectory around
the moon
Inbound
After lunar flyby on Day 6, gravity draws
Orion back toward Earth
Just before re-entry, Orion’s crew module
separates from service module
Capsule re-enters atmosphere at speed of
32,187 km/h and temperatures of up to
2,200°C
Series of parachutes slow craft before
splashdown in Pacific Ocean
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, Sources: GRAPHIC NEWS;
NASA; ESA; Lockheed Martin
Artemis II
flight path
Orion will travel more than
400,000 km from Earth and
could set a new record for
the farthest humans have
ever gone into space
Moon
Outbound
Lift-off from Cape Canaveral
Two minutes after launch, boosters
separate followed by launch abort system
Eight minutes after launch ICPS and Orion
separate from Core stage. Orion’s solar
arrays unfurl
After 90-minute orbit, ICPS fires engines
to raise Orion to higher Earth orbit.
Crew begins multiple system checks
If everything is in order, Orion separates
from ICPS.Then, astronauts manually fly
Orion toward and away from ICPS, practising
proximity operations for future missions
Around 23 hours later, Orion Service Module
carries out Translunar Injection (TLI) burn –
sending Orion on a trajectory around
the moon
Inbound
After lunar flyby on Day 6, gravity draws
Orion back toward Earth
Just before re-entry, Orion’s crew module
separates from service module
Capsule re-enters atmosphere at speed of
32,187 km/h and temperatures of up to
2,200°C
Series of parachutes slow craft before
splashdown in Pacific Ocean
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, Sources: GRAPHIC NEWS;
NASA; ESA; Lockheed Martin
Artemis II flight path
Inbound
After lunar flyby on Day 6,
gravity draws Orion back
toward Earth
Just before re-entry, Orion’s
crew module separates from
service module
Capsule re-enters atmosph-
ere at speed of 32,187 km/h
and temperatures of up to
2,200°C
Series of parachutes slow
craft before splashdown in
Pacific Ocean
10
Outbound
Orion will travel more than
400,000 km from Earth and
could set a new record for
the farthest humans have
ever gone into space
Lift-off from
Cape Canaveral
Two minutes after launch,
boosters separate followed
by launch abort system
Eight minutes after launch,
ICPS and Orion separate from
Core stage. Orion’s solar arrays unfurl
After 90-minute orbit, ICPS fires engines
to raise Orion to higher Earth orbit.
Crew begins multiple system checks
Moon
If everything is in order, Orion separates
from ICPS.Then, astronauts manually fly
Orion toward and away from ICPS, practising
proximity operations for future missions
Around 23 hours later, Orion Service Module
carries out Translunar Injection (TLI) burn –
sending Orion on a trajectory around the moon
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, Sources: GRAPHIC NEWS; NASA; ESA; Lockheed Martin
This will be the second mission in NASA’s revived lunar program. Its predecessor, Artemis I, was an uncrewed 25-day lunar flight that took place in late 2022.
The mission’s broader goal is to pave the way for astronauts to return to the lunar surface and, ultimately, set the stage for future expeditions to Mars. NASA’s plans call for at least one moon landing per year starting in 2028 and a moon base under construction by 2030. But the ambitious schedule depends on the success of Artemis II.
Artemis I was the first step toward an ongoing human presence on the moon.
The Globe and Mail
When is the Artemis II mission expected to launch?
NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 17.JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
The Artemis II mission will make its historic launch from the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Fla. The next available date is April 1 at 6:24 p.m. ET, with a two-hour launch window, provided all final preparations are completed. Additional windows for the launch run through to April 6.
The windows are determined by the shifting positions of the Earth and the moon, which dictate whether the SLS and Orion capsule will safely lift off properly and complete mission objectives.
Here’s a look at the possible dates and times when the Artemis II mission could launch.
- April 1 at 6:24 p.m. ET
- April 2 at 7:22 p.m. ET
- April 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET
- April 4 at 8:53 p.m. ET
- April 5 at 9:40 p.m. ET
- April 6 at 10:36 p.m. ET
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at the launch pad on March 20, the space agency said as they gear up for April 1 preparations.
Who are the astronauts?
Official crew portrait for Artemis II, from left: NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen.Josh Valcarcel – NASA – Johnson Space Center/NASA
The Artemis II crew consists of three Americans and one Canadian: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and London, Ont.,-born astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who will make history as the first Canadian Space Agency astronaut to fly around the moon. The mission’s crew was selected in 2023.
Artemis II will be Col. Hansen’s first flight into space. He was selected as one of two recruits by the Canadian Space Agency for its astronaut recruitment program in 2009 and began working at the Mission Control Center in Houston in 2011.
Col. Hansen spoke to The Globe’s science reporter Ivan Semeniuk about his final preparations for the upcoming journey.
NASA astronauts in the latest phase of training for their flight around the moon.
The four-person crew entered quarantine on March 18 in Houston “to ensure they remain healthy leading up to launch.” The astronauts are expected to fly to Kennedy Space Center approximately five days before the expected launch and continue their quarantine from the astronaut crew quarters.
What happened at the wet dress rehearsals, and why have there been delays?
Artemis II mission's Commander Reid Wiseman speaks next to pilot Victor Glover, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Jan. 17.Joe Skipper/Reuters
NASA was aiming for a February departure for Artemis II, but leaking hydrogen fuel during a “wet dress rehearsal” on Feb. 2 caused mission managers to postpone the launch in order to deal with the problem. Engineers replaced the seals where the hydrogen is pumped into the rocket’s core stage, and where fuel lines must detach promptly at the moment of launch.
During a second wet dress rehearsal on Feb. 19, the seals performed well with no significant leakage of hydrogen. The rocket was fully fuelled and the rehearsal then proceeded through its countdown sequence, stopping, as planned, just 29 seconds before launch. This went smoothly enough for officials to green light preparations for a March liftoff.
But the rocket suffered another setback in March when the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, officials said. NASA announced on March 3 that it repaired the helium flow issue and was continuing preparations for a potential April launch.
What is Canada’s contribution to the Artemis II mission?
This is what a NASA artist imagined Gateway and Canadarm3 would look like.NASA
The Artemis II mission is especially momentous for Canada. Until now, no representative of any country besides the United States has ever travelled beyond low Earth orbit. But Col. Hansen is set to make history.
Canada is a partner in the Artemis program, and officials negotiated the country’s role between 2018 and 2020. At that time, it was understood the deal could involve future lunar missions for Canadians. In exchange, Canada would invest $2.05-billion over 24 years in a lunar program including an AI-enabled robotic arm, the Canadarm3.
But NASA recently announced a significant restructuring of the Artemis program that puts important aspects of Canada’s contribution in question. The space agency said on March 24 it is dropping its plans to build an orbiting space station, known as Gateway, around the moon. The change presents a dilemma for the Canadian Space Agency, which is slated to provide hardware for Gateway, including the $1-billion-plus AI-enabled robotic arm currently being built by MDA Space in Brampton, Ont.
How can people watch the Artemis II launch?
Media members visit different stations during an Artemis II tour at Johnson Space Center in Houston TX, on Sept. 23, 2025.Annie Mulligan/The Globe and Mail
The Artemis II launch will be streamed live on NASA+, NASA’s YouTube channel, and the NASA app.
In-person viewing is available at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, but it said on its website that only guests with a “Launch Viewing Package” will be allowed entry on Artemis II launch attempt days.
NASA will also provide real-time coverage throughout the mission on its YouTube channel, including a separate livestream of the Orion spacecraft, if bandwidth allows. It also released a flight tracker on its website that will be available once Artemis II launches.
What is the Artemis II name submission?
The SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft are seen at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 1.MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP/Getty Images
NASA is allowing the public to join the Artemis II moon mission as part of the agency’s “Send Your Name with Artemis II” effort.
Participants can launch their name aboard the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket by signing up on NASA’s website. The collected names will be put on a SD card that will be loaded aboard the Orion spacecraft before the launch date. Upon sign-up, participants will also be able to download a boarding pass as a collectable.
With reports from Ivan Semeniuk.