Artemis II Crew Enters Quarantine Ahead of March Launch Opportunity

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The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon during the Artemis II test flight entered quarantine at approximately 5 p.m. CST Friday in Houston. During quarantine, typically about 14 days before launch, the crew will limit their exposure to others to remain in good health before the mission. NASA successfully completed a second wet dress rehearsal on February 19 and technicians have begun final preparations at the launch pad.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission is a critical step in NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the Moon. This test flight around the Moon will pave the way for the Artemis III mission, which aims to land the first woman and next man on the lunar surface.

The details

The Artemis II crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The crew will fly to Kennedy Space Center approximately five days before the targeted launch date of March 6. NASA successfully completed a second wet dress rehearsal on February 19, which involved loading propellant into the rocket and practicing launch procedures.

• The Artemis II crew entered quarantine at approximately 5 p.m. CST on Friday, February 20, 2026.
• NASA is targeting no earlier than Friday, March 6, 2026, for the launch of Artemis II.

What’s next

NASA will hold a Flight Readiness Review in the coming days to assess the status of the Artemis II mission and determine if the launch can proceed as targeted on March 6.