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How to watch NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts launch to the moon on April 1
space.com
NASA's Artemis 2 mission, representing the first human expedition to the lunar vicinity in over five decades, was scheduled for launch. This event was broadcast live, allowing a global audience to witness the commencement of this historic journey.
The launch was targeted for no earlier than April 1 at 6:24 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (2224 Greenwich Mean Time) in 2026. Live coverage, provided by NASA, was accessible via Space.com. The broadcast was scheduled to commence at 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 GMT), offering extensive pre-launch analysis and commentary.
The mission utilized the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to propel the Orion spacecraft and its four-person crew from Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew consisted of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), and Christina Koch (mission specialist), alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist). Their initial trajectory placed them into a stable low Earth orbit.
Approximately 24 hours post-launch, a critical engine maneuver termed a "trans-lunar injection" burn was planned. This burn committed the Orion capsule to a lunar trajectory, marking the first human voyage toward the moon since the conclusion of the Apollo program in 1972. Artemis 2 served as the inaugural crewed test flight for both the SLS rocket—previously flown uncrewed on the Artemis 1 mission in 2022—and the Orion spacecraft. Orion had prior uncrewed flight experience: a 2014 test to Earth orbit aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket and its lunar orbital journey on Artemis 1.
Both NASA and the Canadian Space Agency intended to provide a comprehensive multimedia experience throughout the mission. Exterior cameras mounted on the Orion spacecraft were designed to transmit near-continuous live video feeds for significant portions of the flight. It was important to note that video quality may experience intermittent degradation due to the immense distance involved and constraints in data transmission bandwidth.
Furthermore, the crew was expected to establish public communication with Earth approximately once per day. The precise timing of these events, including potential news conferences, remained contingent upon real-time mission operations and crew task schedules. Space.com provided live coverage of all such public engagements as they occurred.
The operational highlight occurred during the period in which Artemis 2 circumnavigated the far side of the moon. At its closest approach, the spacecraft passed within approximately 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) of the lunar surface. From this vantage point, the astronauts observed the moon at a scale where it appeared roughly the size of a basketball held at arm's length. This unique perspective facilitated detailed visual analysis of surface characteristics, including color variations, lighting conditions, and geological features.
In addition to lunar observation, the mission incorporated a suite of biomedical experiments. The astronauts conducted research on their own physiological responses to the deep-space environment. This included monitoring the effects of microgravity combined with exposure to higher levels of galactic cosmic radiation than are typically encountered aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Another potential event was a ship-to-ship communication link between the ISS and the Orion spacecraft, which was broadcast if it was executed.
Following an approximately 10-day journey, the Artemis 2 mission was planned to conclude with the Orion capsule's re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and a subsequent splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, California. While NASA has not yet released the precise timeline for re-entry and recovery operations—a joint endeavor with the U.S. Navy—the agency anticipated providing live video coverage of the capsule's return.
All mission milestones were subject to adjustment, with a potentially higher degree of flexibility than typical International Space Station operations. This was attributable to the developmental nature of Artemis 2, which actively validated procedures and systems for the broader Artemis program. For the most current information, Space.com maintained a dedicated live blog with continuous updates on mission events as they unfolded.