Explore the latest developments concerning NASA’s Artemis II.
NASA’s Artemis II mission will take an astronaut crew around the Moon – a space policy expert describes the long road to launch
Scott Pace is an advisor for Sierra Space and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Planetary Science Institute, and the Board of Advisors for the National Security Space Association. He was a political appointee in the Administrations of George W. Bush (2002-2008) and Donald J. Trump (2017-2020). He is the Director of the Space Policy Institute at the Elliott School of International Affairs, at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
NASA is once again shooting for the Moon, for the first time since the 1970s. As soon as April 2026, NASA will launch its Artemis II mission, using the Space Launch System heavy lift rocket to send a crewed spacecraft, called Orion, into orbit. From there, the crew will circle around the Moon over 10 days.
NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown
Before NASA sends its astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on their Artemis II mission around the Moon, the launch team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and teams across the country will begin counting down about two days before liftoff.
A launch countdown contains “L Minus” and “T Minus” times. The “L minus” indicates how far away liftoff is in hours and minutes. The “T minus” time is a sequence of events built into the launch countdown. Pauses in the countdown, or “holds,” are built in to allow the launch team to target a precise launch window, and to provide a cushion of time for certain tasks and procedures without impacting the overall schedule. During planned holds in the countdown process, the countdown clock is intentionally stopped and the T- time also stops. The L- time, however, continues to advance.
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Nasa's Moon rocket Artemis rolls back to pad for possible April launch
Nasa's giant Moon rocket has returned to its launch pad for a second time, ahead of a mission to send astronauts around the Moon – something not attempted in more than 50 years.
The 98m tall Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft made a four mile journey from their assembly building to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The move comes after a problem with the rocket's helium system forced Nasa to abandon a launch attempt in March and return the vehicle indoors for repairs.
Engineers say the issue has now been fixed and hope that a series of final tests at the pad will confirm the rocket is ready for an early‑April launch window.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning NASA’s Artemis II.
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