The United States' Space Agency, NASA, is preparing to launch Artemis 2, its first manned mission to the Moon since 1972, with liftoff scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, at 18:24 EDT or Thursday, April 2, at 05:24 WIB (Western Indonesian Time).
According to a report by Space, the mission will carry four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon without landing or orbiting before returning to Earth. These four astronauts will be the first visitors to the Moon since Apollo 17.
After facing various technical problems, such as hydrogen fuel leaks and clogged helium lines that had delayed the flight, NASA now reports that preparations are running smoothly.
NASA officials stated that the rocket is in good condition at the launch pad, and weather forecasts are favorable, with an 80 percent chance of good conditions. "Everybody's pretty excited and understands the significance of this launch," said Senior Test Director Jeff Spaulding, as quoted in a report by Science Alert on April 1, 2026.
This is the closest NASA has come to launching Artemis 2. Hydrogen fuel leaks had pushed the flight from February to March and then the clogged helium lines postponed it to April. The space agency only has a few days each month to send three American citizens and one Canadian citizen to the Moon.
With the technical fixes believed to be complete, the launch team plans to begin fueling the 32-floor high Space Launch System rocket on Wednesday morning for a nighttime liftoff.