Artemis II Launch on Track for Historic Moon Flyby Next Week
Canada Wire | 26 March 2026
NASA is in final preparations to launch the Artemis II mission, targeting a liftoff as early as Wednesday, 1 April 2026, which would send a crew of four astronauts—including a Canadian—on a journey around the Moon for the first time in more than half a century.
The Mission at a Glance
- Crew: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist).
- Launch Target: No earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT (22:24 UTC) on 1 April 2026, with a two-hour launch window. Additional opportunities run through 7 April.
- Mission Duration: Approximately 10 days.
- Objective: A crewed lunar flyby, testing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft ahead of future Moon landings.
Latest Launch Preparations
The Artemis II stack—the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft—completed its slow rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building and arrived at Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Centre on 20 March 2026. NASA officials have confirmed the mission remains on track for its early April launch window, pending final weather and technical checks.
“We are moving forward with launching Artemis II as soon as April 1,” a NASA statement read. The agency has set extensive broadcast coverage for the event, with a public watch party also planned at the Wallops Visitor Centre in Virginia.
A Major Boost for the Space Coast
The historic launch is expected to draw up to 400,000 visitors to Florida’s Brevard County, generating an estimated $160 million in local economic impact. Hotels, restaurants, and tourism operators are preparing for one of the largest crowds since the Apollo era.
Canadian Context: Pride and a Setback
While Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen prepares to make history as the first non-American to travel to lunar distance, the Canadian space programme faces a separate challenge. The Canadian Space Agency’s first Moon rover project, a water-seeking robot announced in 2021, has been terminated in the agency’s 2026-27 spending plan.
Despite this, Hansen’s role on Artemis II underscores Canada’s continued partnership in NASA’s lunar ambitions through its contribution of the Canadarm3 robotic system for the future Lunar Gateway.
The Road Ahead: From Flyby to Base
Artemis II is the critical crewed test flight before Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface. In a related announcement this week, NASA unveiled an updated plan to establish a permanent lunar base by 2028, committing $20 billion over seven years to the effort. The agency stated it intends to launch Moon missions every six months following Artemis III.
Watch Live: NASA will provide live coverage of the Artemis II launch beginning on its website and NASA Television. Liftoff is targeted for 6:24 p.m. EDT on 1 April 2026.
Sources: NASA.gov, Houston Public Media, Florida Today, SpaceNews, CBC, The Canadian Press. | All times in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).