SLS Block 1 | Artemis II
Space Launch System Block 1 launched the Artemis II mission for National Aeronautics and Space Administration from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA on Apr 1, 2026 (UTC).
Launch pad
Launch Complex 39B · Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
SLS Block 1 | Artemis II
Launched Apr 2, 2026 7:35:12 AMSuccess
Flight direction
90° E
orbit unknown: due east assumed
Flight path
First-stage drop zone (rough estimate)
Drawn 400–700 km downrange along the flight direction. Official hazard areas are published as NOTAMs and navigational warnings.
About the mission
Artemis II is the first crewed mission as part of the Artemis program. Artemis II will send a crew of 4 - 3 Americans and 1 Canadian around the moon and return them back to Earth. The mission will test the core systems of NASA's Orion spacecraft including the critical life support system, among other systems which could not be tested during Artemis I due to the lack of crew onboard.
Mission description from Launch Library 2.
- Launch time (your time zone)
- Thu, Apr 2 · 7:35:12 AM
- Status
- Success
- Launch provider
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Rocket
- Space Launch System Block 1
- Mission type
- Human Exploration
- Target orbit
- Lunar flyby
- Launch pad
- Launch Complex 39B · Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA