Artemis II: NASA Targets Early April for Moon Mission

NASA is preparing to launch its Artemis II mission in early April, sending astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The mission was originally scheduled for March but was delayed after engineers discovered a helium leak in the rocket.

Four astronauts will make the journey: three Americans (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch) and one Canadian (Jeremy Hansen). They will fly on NASA's powerful Space Launch System rocket and travel in the Orion spacecraft for 10 days.

During the mission, the crew will fly around the far side of the Moon, which we never see from Earth, before returning home. NASA officials say they have carefully assessed all risks and are confident in the mission's success.

The rocket will be moved to the launchpad on March 19, with the earliest possible launch date of April 1. NASA is under pressure to launch before the end of April 2026, as the mission has already been delayed by two years due to technical problems.