Artemis II Astronauts Arrive at Florida Launch Site for First Moon Trip in 53 Years

The crew will become the first lunar visitors in more than half a century when they blast off next week.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 11:22am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The astronauts set to become the first lunar visitors in more than half a century arrived at their launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, joining the towering Space Launch System rocket that stands poised to blast off next week and send them around the moon. The Artemis II crew includes NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as Canada's Jeremy Hansen.

Why it matters

The upcoming Artemis II mission marks NASA's first astronaut moonshot since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, reigniting public interest and excitement around human space exploration. The successful launch and lunar flyby will pave the way for future Artemis program missions, including plans to establish a permanent lunar base.

The details

The astronauts flew in from Houston and were greeted by NASA's new administrator Jared Isaacman and other officials. The Space Launch System rocket has only launched once before, during an uncrewed test flight in 2022. NASA is aiming to launch Artemis II as soon as next Wednesday, with a window of the first six days of April. However, the launch could potentially slip to May or June due to technical issues that have caused previous delays.

  • The astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Friday, March 28, 2026.
  • NASA is aiming to launch Artemis II as soon as Wednesday, April 2, 2026.
  • The 10-day Artemis II mission will end with a Pacific splashdown.

The players

Reid Wiseman

The commander of the Artemis II mission, a NASA astronaut.

Victor Glover

A NASA astronaut who is part of the Artemis II crew.

Christina Koch

A NASA astronaut who is part of the Artemis II crew.

Jeremy Hansen

A Canadian astronaut who is part of the Artemis II crew.

Jared Isaacman

The new administrator of NASA.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Hey, let's go to the moon!”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Commander

“We're all fired up to go do this. So 'Allons-y!' ”

— Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II Astronaut

“That's this business. It will go when the engines light at T-zero, and we totally understand that.”

— Victor Glover, Artemis II Astronaut

What’s next

The Artemis II mission will be followed in 2027 by a lunar lander demo in orbit around Earth and in 2028 by one and possibly two lunar landings by astronauts.

The takeaway

The upcoming Artemis II mission marks a significant milestone in NASA's Artemis program, reigniting public interest in human space exploration and paving the way for future missions to establish a permanent lunar base.