NASA Prepares Comprehensive Coverage for Historic Artemis II Moon Mission

Historic Return to Lunar Exploration

NASA is preparing for the most ambitious human spaceflight mission in over half a century. The Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon , marking the first time humans will travel beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years . Launch is targeted for no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 1 , with the agency announcing comprehensive coverage plans for this pivotal moment in space exploration.

The mission represents a crucial stepping stone toward NASA's broader Artemis program goals. The Artemis II mission will carry astronauts farther from Earth and closer to the Moon than any human has been in over half a century . During their lunar flyby, the crew is expected to surpass the record for human's farthest distance from Earth previously set by Apollo 13, at 248,655 miles from Earth .

The mission will be crewed by four astronauts: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch, all from NASA, along with mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency . This diverse crew will make history in multiple ways, as Glover would become the first person of color, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to travel around the Moon .

Comprehensive Media Coverage Plan

NASA has outlined an extensive coverage schedule that will bring this historic mission directly to audiences worldwide. NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch, launch, and mission events for the agency's upcoming Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon . The coverage begins well before launch, with coverage of tanking operations to load propellant into NASA's Space Launch System rocket beginning at 7:45 a.m., including views of the rocket and audio from a commentator .

The official launch coverage starts at 12:50 p.m. on NASA+ , with coverage continuing on YouTube after Orion's solar array wings deploy in space . Throughout the mission, the crew will participate in live conversations throughout the mission, with NASA providing the exact times of each of these downlink events in the Artemis blog and on the agency's launch events page .

For those seeking alternative ways to follow the mission, media may listen to the audio-only coverage of the tanking and launch broadcast by dialing 256-715-9946, passcode 682 040 632 . The public can also register to attend the launch virtually, with NASA's virtual guest program for this mission including curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch .

Mission Objectives and Scientific Goals

Artemis II serves as a critical test flight that will validate systems essential for future lunar exploration. This isn't a landing attempt — it's a proving flight that will test life-support, communications, and deep-space navigation systems — everything we'll need to live and work on the moon for real . The crew will practice manually flying Orion for the first time, giving future astronauts and ground teams insight into the spacecraft's handling qualities, and will demonstrate how to live and work in the spacecraft, including exercising and testing emergency procedures .

The mission timeline includes several significant milestones. The outbound journey and lunar flyby are expected to take about four days, during which the crew will monitor spacecraft systems, gather data on the effects of deep space travel, and perform trajectory correction burns as needed . The journey to the lunar vicinity is expected to last three days, and astronauts will spend one day in lunar observation of the far side of the Moon, with some parts seen up close by humans for the first time .

Scientific research will play a crucial role throughout the mission. Several scientific investigations are taking place, all to improve understanding of how humans can thrive far from home . The mission will also carry a payload titled AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) which can mimic individual astronaut organs, with Artemis II marking the first time that AVATAR is tested outside of the International Space Station .

Paving the Way for Mars

The success of Artemis II will directly impact humanity's future in space exploration. The first crewed Artemis flight marks a key step toward long‑term return to the Moon and future missions to Mars, building on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I in 2022 . The Artemis program is a series of missions of increasing complexity to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build upon our foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars .

The mission's conclusion will be