NASA set to unveil Artemis II launch timeline tonight in major Moon mission update

Later today, NASA is going to release a major update on the Artemis II program as they prepare for the first human beings to fly beyond Low Earth Orbit, the first step on the journey to return to Deep Space. According to NASA, they will announce an updated launch schedule as well as updated information related to the overall readiness of the Orion spacecraft for its first human flight for a ten-day journey around the Moon. During this mission, they will be testing various aspects of the life support systems onboard Orion for the first time in lunar orbit (since the Apollo missions).

NASA will discuss various programmatic milestones leading up to the planned launch of Artemis II and will also provide details related to the extensive training that the Artemis II astronaut crew has undergone. Overall, this announcement marks an important step toward a future Artemis III moon landing, thus confirming NASA's sustainability commitment to long-term human presence on the Moon. This briefing underscores the technical precision required for deep-space transit, ensuring that every redundancy within the Orion capsule is verified before the crew embarks on this historic, high-stakes lunar trajectory. For the first time since 1972, a human-rated carbon dioxide scrubbing system and thermal control loop will be pushed to its limits in the lunar environment.

Moon Mission Update: NASA briefing time and participation details

NASA is having a high-priority media press conference announcing the results of the Artemis II Flight Readiness Review (FRR). This is the last step for determining if the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule will officially be cleared for their historic crewed mission.

• Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
• Time: 3:00 PM EDT (12:30 AM Sunday, March 13)
• Location: Kennedy Space Centre (to be streamed live on NASA Television)

Who will lead the briefing

The leaders who are resposible in executing and safeguarding the mission will be at this conference:

• Jared Isaacman: NASA Administrador
• Lori Glaze: Acting Associate Administrator, Exploration Systems Development
• John Honeycutt: Chair, Artemis II Mission Management Team
• Shawn Quinn: Manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program
• Norm Knight: Director, Flight Operations Directorate

What is the planned date for Artemis II to launch into space

Artemis II is anticipated to launch in April 2026 and to be lasted in approximately 10 days. Because the time frame for launch has not yet been confirmed, it will remain a plan dependent on what happens following the completion of the readiness reviews. After that, people will have more specific information available at our next press briefing.

Will they actually walk on the Moon

No, Artemis II is only going to be a lunar flyby mission, and its crew will fly around the earth twice before executing a Trans Lunar Injection to swing around the far side of the moon; thus, they will get much closer (about 8,889 km or 5,523 miles) to the lunar surface than any human has since 1972, yet they will not land. This mission will be the essential test run for Artemis III, which plans to have a manned landing on the lunar surface by 2027 or 2028.