NASA Sets New Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Date After Key Risk Assessment

The agency is now targeting an April 1 liftoff for the historic crewed lunar flyby mission.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 12:34am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

NASA has completed a crucial risk assessment ahead of its upcoming Artemis II moon mission, paving the way for a new target launch date in early April. The agency revealed it is now aiming to launch the historic four-person crew on a lunar flyby on April 1, with backup windows available through the end of the month. While NASA did not provide specific quantitative risk estimates, mission managers said they had thorough discussions about mitigating risks and that the astronauts were involved in the review process.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission will mark the first crewed flight of NASA's new Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, which are central to the agency's plans to return humans to the lunar surface in the coming years. A successful Artemis II flight would be a major milestone toward those goals, demonstrating the readiness of the critical hardware and paving the way for future Artemis missions.

The details

During the two-day Flight Readiness Review, NASA mission managers discussed technical issues the SLS rocket has faced, including problems with leaking liquid hydrogen fuel and issues with the helium flow system. While the agency opted not to conduct another full wet dress rehearsal to preserve the life of the rocket's fuel tanks, officials said they are confident the vehicle and spacecraft are ready for launch based on the review. The four Artemis II astronauts - NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen - participated virtually in the discussions.

  • NASA is now targeting April 1, 2026 at 6:24 p.m. ET for the Artemis II launch.
  • There are six additional backup launch windows available on April 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 30.

The players

NASA

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the government agency responsible for the country's civilian space program, aeronautics, and space research.

John Honeycutt

The chair of the Artemis II Mission Management Team at NASA.

Lori Glaze

NASA's acting associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

Reid Wiseman

One of the four NASA astronauts selected for the Artemis II crew.

Victor Glover

One of the four NASA astronauts selected for the Artemis II crew.

Christina Koch

One of the four NASA astronauts selected for the Artemis II crew.

Jeremy Hansen

The Canadian Space Agency astronaut selected for the Artemis II crew.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We're probably not 1 in 50 on the mission going exactly like we want to, but we're probably not 1 in 2 like we were on the first flight.”

— John Honeycutt, Chair of the Artemis II Mission Management Team (CNN)

“Having them join us in this review really reinforced the importance of having open, honest discussions.”

— Lori Glaze, NASA's acting associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (CNN)

What’s next

The SLS rocket is scheduled to return to the launch pad on March 19, and NASA plans to launch the Artemis II mission on April 1 or one of the backup dates in early April.

The takeaway

The successful completion of the Flight Readiness Review and the setting of a new Artemis II launch date in early April represent a major milestone for NASA's Artemis program, as the agency prepares to send astronauts on an unprecedented journey around the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era.