The Brief
- NASA is targeting Wednesday, April 1, 2026, for the Artemis II mission, a 10-day flight carrying four astronauts around the moon and back.
- Houston’s Johnson Space Center will serve as the mission’s nerve center, overseeing the flight as the crew achieves milestones for women and people of color in deep space.
- After a lunar flyby on Day 6, the Orion capsule is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, following a high-speed atmospheric reentry.
HOUSTON – As NASA prepares for the historic Artemis II mission, Texas is reinforcing its role as the primary hub for America’s return to the moon. With a launch targeted for Wednesday, April 1, 2026, the mission represents a critical step-by-step test of the systems that will eventually land the first woman and next man on the lunar surface.
NASA Artemis II Rocket Launch
The 10-day flight will carry four astronauts on a trajectory around the moon and back to Earth. The crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—all live and train in the Houston area and represent several milestones in space exploration.
Koch is set to become the first woman to fly on a lunar mission, while Glover will be the first person of color and Hansen the first Canadian to travel to deep space.
The path to the pad was not without challenges. In late February, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to repair a helium flow issue in the upper stage. NASA officials confirmed in mid-March that the repairs were successful, and the rocket returned to Launch Pad 39B on March 20, 2026.
The Texas connection
Local perspective:…