NASA sets April 1 for Artemis II, first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years
The announcement follows several weeks of technical delays
NASA said on Thursday that Artemis II had passed its flight readiness review and received the go-ahead to proceed toward a launch attempt on April 1, in what would be the first crewed mission around the Moon since the Apollo era. The agency said the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are set to roll out to pad 39B on March 19 once remaining closeout work is finished.
The mission will not attempt a lunar landing, but it will mark the return of astronauts to lunar space for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II will carry four crew members on a roughly 10-day flight around the Moon and is designed to test the SLS rocket, Orion capsule and associated ground systems with astronauts on board.
The announcement follows several weeks of technical delays. NASA had previously lined up a February launch opportunity, but a propellant loading test revealed leaks that forced the agency to inspect and repair the system. In January NASA had already updated its wet dress rehearsal and launch planning, and on Thursday it confirmed that the final readiness review ended with a “go” decision.
The current April period includes launch opportunities on April 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as April 30, according to the mission availability calendar updated on March 12. That schedule leaves room to shift the attempt for technical or weather reasons without moving the mission outside the current launch framework.
As NASA closes in on Artemis II, it has also reordered the rest of its lunar programme. In late February, the agency announced an architecture update adding a new mission and revising the sequence that follows: Artemis III is no longer framed as the immediate crewed lunar landing in the way it had previously been presented, partly to reduce risk and better align development of landing systems.
That issue ties directly to one of the programme’s main uncertainties. This week, NASA’s Office of Inspector General warned that development of the lunar landers faces delays and unresolved crew safety risks, putting pressure on the timeline for the missions meant to follow Artemis II. The report makes clear that while the April flight is moving ahead, the challenges of putting astronauts on the lunar surface remain far from settled.
Even so, Artemis II has now entered its decisive phase as a political, technical and symbolic test for the U.S. lunar programme. If it lifts off on April 1, it will not only end more than half a century without crewed flights to lunar space, but also serve as a critical test of the credibility of the U.S. plan to return to the Moon.
