Status
To Be Confirmed
National Aeronautics and Space Administration•Space Launch System (SLS)
SLS Block 1 | Artemis II
NASA is going back to the Moon — with crew on board. Artemis II is the deep-space proving flight that sets the foundation for the next era of lunar exploration.
T- Countdown
18d 22:47:21
LIVE
NET (UTC): Sat, 07 Feb 2026 02:41:00 UTC
Launch Site•Launch Complex 39B
Updated Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:03:07 UTC
Crew
4
Reid Wiseman
Commander
NASA
Victor Glover
Pilot
NASA
Christina Koch
Mission Specialist
NASA
Jeremy Hansen
Mission Specialist
CSA
Mission Availability
NASA target days (update as the agency refines the plan)
February 2026
2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
March 2026
2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
April 2026
2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Mission Available
Not targeted
• Subject to adjustments.
Launch Window Opening
| Local Date | Local Time | UTC Date/Time | Lighting | Duration (min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/06/2026 | 09:41:00 PM EST | 02/07/2026 02:41:00 | 3.58 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 02/07/2026 | 10:46:00 PM EST | 02/08/2026 03:46:00 | 4.65 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 02/08/2026 | 11:20:00 PM EST | 02/09/2026 04:20:00 | 5.20 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 02/10/2026 | 12:06:00 AM EST | 02/10/2026 05:06:00 | 5.96 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 02/11/2026 | 01:05:00 AM EST | 02/11/2026 06:05:00 | 5.99 Hours Before Sunrise | 120 |
| 03/06/2026 | 08:29:00 PM EST | 03/07/2026 01:29:00 | 2.05 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 03/07/2026 | 08:57:00 PM EST | 03/08/2026 01:57:00 | 2.51 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 03/08/2026 | 10:56:00 PM EDT | 03/09/2026 02:56:00 | 3.48 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 03/09/2026 | 11:52:00 PM EDT | 03/10/2026 03:52:00 | 4.40 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 03/11/2026 | 12:48:00 AM EDT | 03/11/2026 04:48:00 | 5.36 Hours After Sunset | 115 |
| 04/01/2026 | 06:24:00 PM EDT | 04/01/2026 22:24:00 | 1.28 Hours Before Sunset | 120 |
| 04/03/2026 | 08:00:00 PM EDT | 04/04/2026 00:00:00 | 0.30 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 04/04/2026 | 08:53:00 PM EDT | 04/05/2026 00:53:00 | 1.17 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 04/05/2026 | 09:40:00 PM EDT | 04/06/2026 01:40:00 | 1.95 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 04/06/2026 | 10:36:00 PM EDT | 04/07/2026 02:36:00 | 2.87 Hours After Sunset | 120 |
| 04/30/2026 | 06:06:00 PM EDT | 04/30/2026 22:06:00 | 1.86 Hours Before Sunset | 120 |
Watch Hub
Everything you need in one place
Rollout Countdown
VAB → LC-39B
Target (UTC)
2026-01-17T15:00:00Z
1
Days
12
Hrs
53
Min
38
Sec
Rollout time has passed (update the target if needed).
OPEN ROLLOUT TRACKER
Live-style 2D map view with crawler progress + HUD.
Mission Overview
Orion + SLS in deep space
Artemis II is the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis program, sending four astronauts beyond low Earth orbit on a cislunar trajectory. The mission validates spacecraft systems, operations, and procedures needed for sustained lunar exploration.
Crew
4
Vehicle
SLS Block 1 + Orion
Profile
Cislunar flyby
Goal
Crewed deep-space ops validation
Key Objectives
- Validate crew operations beyond LEO.
- Test navigation and communications in the cislunar regime.
- Demonstrate crewed re-entry systems and recovery workflows.
- Rehearse mission control operations at full fidelity.
Mission Phases
The Artemis II flow, from launch to splashdown
Launch + Ascent
SLS → orbit setup
SLS lifts Orion and crew off Earth with more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust. After ascent, major jettisons include the solid rocket boosters, service module fairings, and the launch abort system, followed by core stage cutoff and separation.
Later upgrade: tie these phases to Cesium camera + trajectory highlights.
Cislunar Mission Profile
Estimated Artemis-2 Trajectories
Artemis I vs Artemis II
Context that makes this mission feel historic
Crew
Uncrewed
4 astronauts
Primary goal
Integrated systems flight test
Crewed deep-space ops validation
Risk posture
Test flight
Human-rated mission execution
Operations
Prove stack performance
Prove crew procedures + contingencies
Why it matters
Verified the hardware can fly
Verifies humans can operate beyond LEO again
Artemis I proved the stack. Artemis II proves the crew systems, procedures, and mission operations that unlock sustained lunar exploration.
Crew Focus
Tap to expand each role
Media & Credits
Thanks to the people behind the visuals
Header image
Charles Boyer
Astronaut photos
NASA
If you’re a photographer covering Artemis II and want to be featured on MaxQ, reach out via Crew channels.