It’s happening! Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years, Is all set for launch as early as 6:24 p.m. today (April 1).
NASA hopes its gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch the Orion capsule containing its four-person crew during a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT today. If all goes well, Artemis II will take humans farther into space than ever before during a 10-day flight around the moon.
NASA will stream the launch live from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, broadcasting it via the space agency’s official accounts on YouTube, X, Facebook, and Twitch. The live coverage will also be available on NASA’s free streaming service, NASA+, as well as a variety of third-party streaming services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime.
NASA’s live stream is scheduled to begin at 12:50 p.m. EDT. We can’t say exactly what time the launch will be, but if it goes ahead today, then expect the rocket to take off sometime between 6:24 p.m. and 8:24 p.m.
Launch window opening times
Wednesday: 6:24 p.m. EDT
Thursday: 7:22 p.m. EDT
Friday: 8:00 p.m. EDT
Saturday: 8:53 p.m. EDT
Sunday: 9:40 p.m. EDT
Monday (April 6): 10:36 p.m. EDT
Thursday (April 30): 6:06 p.m. EDT
This will be an easy live event to watch, given that NASA is streaming it for free across a variety of platforms. You don’t have to create an account, pay a subscription or suffer through ads to watch it live.
Although NASA is targeting today, there’s no guarantee that Artemis II will launch then. Spaceflight is a delicate process even in the best of times, and the Artemis program has been fraught with delays.
The April launch windows for Artemis II run from Wednesday to Monday (April 1-6), so there is the potential to launch any of those days, along with another opportunity on April 30. As of Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday is looking good, with NASA citing an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions.
NASA will begin its coverage with a live feed and commentary of its tanking operations, which kicks off on NASA’s YouTube channel at 7:45 a.m. EDT. Note that this is prior to the main broadcast of the launch, which begins at 12:50 p.m. EDT.
NASA will hold a postlaunch news conference about two hours after the launch, assuming it goes ahead, and it will be available on the space agency’s official channels.
The launch is only the beginning of NASA’s planned coverage for the historic flight around the moon. NASA will provide live, real-time coverage of the mission on its YouTube channel, as well as live conversations with the astronauts and daily mission briefings.
Live Science will share key information from NASA’s coverage on our dedicated Artemis II live blog.
