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The Countdown Begins: NASA Holds Pre-Launch News Conference Ahead of Historic Artemis II Mission
Mission managers said final safety checks are complete as the 4-person crew prepares for NASA’s first crewed trip beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo.
- NASA is poised to launch the Artemis II mission today, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years.
- Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson confirmed the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are in "excellent" shape following extensive repairs to hydrogen leaks and helium system issues.
- Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will spend 10 days orbiting the moon to test life support and navigation systems.
- The US Navy will recover the crew roughly 2 hours after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, following the targeted 6:24 p.m. EDT liftoff from Launch Complex 39B.
- Data gathered during the flyby will inform future Artemis III and Artemis IV missions planned for 2027 and beyond, as this expedition serves as a critical step toward establishing sustained human lunar presence.
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DEVELOPING: Today's Artemis II Launch Potentially Delayed as Engineers Scramble to Fix Issue Before Launch to Historic 10-Day Mission - UPDATE: Issue Has Reportedly Been Solved, Launch Confirmed From 6:24PM ET
Orion spaceship is set to take human beings the farthest distance from Earth ever - but will it be today?
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources20
Leaning Left1Leaning Right7Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Center, 46% Right
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources are Center, 46% of the sources lean Right
47% Center
C 47%
R 46%
Factuality
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