In 2024, NASA announced that the Artemis 2 mission would be delayed until April 2026. Now, the agency says the launch could happen sooner, with the earliest opportunity set for February 6. NASA is currently in the final stages of preparation and is preparing to move the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The four-mile rollout from the assembly building to Launch Pad 39B is expected to take up to 12 hours, with the target date for the move no earlier than January 17, depending on weather conditions and any remaining technical work.
Artemis 2 will mark NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon since the final Apollo flight in 1972. The 10-day journey will carry four astronauts who will test Orion’s life-support systems to ensure they can support humans on longer future missions. After orbiting Earth twice, the crew will travel about 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. If rollout proceeds as planned, NASA will conduct a wet dress rehearsal at the end of January, loading the rocket with cryogenic fuel and running through a full launch countdown to prepare for liftoff.
The 98-meter rocket is expected to be moved to the launch pad within days, transported by a crawler vehicle that will slowly carry the SLS and Orion system across the space center. Once in place, NASA will complete final testing and rehearsals before approving the mission for launch — the second test flight in the Artemis program and the first to carry astronauts.
The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. Their mission is a key step in the United States’ renewed push to return humans to the Moon, especially as competition with China intensifies over future lunar landings near the Moon’s south pole.
Although Artemis 2 is already more than a year behind schedule, engineers continue to address last-minute technical challenges, including adjustments to the Orion capsule’s life-support system, heat shield, and a recently discovered issue with the rocket’s emergency abort system wiring.
Once the rocket reaches the launch pad, teams will connect ground systems and complete a long checklist of safety and performance tests. The wet dress rehearsal at the end of January will involve fueling the rocket with more than three million liters of propellant and simulating the entire countdown sequence.
NASA says a final launch date will only be confirmed once all systems are cleared. The current launch window runs from early February through April, though actual opportunities are limited to just a few days each month because of the Moon’s alignment with Earth. Weather, technical issues, or safety concerns could still delay the mission at the last moment.