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4w ago

NASA Opens Early February Launch Window for Artemis II Moon Flyby

The crewed test mission advances toward a final readiness decision with SLS stacked plus Orion nearing integration for a systems‑validation flight.

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HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 22: NASA Administrator Sean Duffy makes comments as the Astronaut candidate class of 2025 is introduced during a ceremony at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
© NASA/Frank Michaux
From top left to right, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, suit up and walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. During a two-day operation, the Artemis II team practiced night-run demonstrations of different launch day scenarios for the Artemis II test flight. (NASA/Kim Shiflett)

Overview

  • Officials identified Feb. 5, 2026 as the earliest possible launch date and reiterated a commitment to launch no later than April.
  • The four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—will fly a roughly 10‑day free‑return around the moon.
  • The astronauts announced the Orion capsule’s name, Integrity, reflecting the mission’s emphasis on trust and responsibility.
  • SLS is largely stacked at Kennedy Space Center, while Orion completes final processing and then moves to the Vehicle Assembly Building for integration, testing, rollout, and a wet dress rehearsal.
  • Artemis II will test Orion’s life support, navigation, displays, software, and a proximity‑operations demo before committing to the translunar burn, with splashdown planned in the Pacific off San Diego as reentry planning incorporates Artemis I heat‑shield lessons.