NASA announces launch of the Artemis II mission

Published at: 13/03/2026 08:47 AM

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it plans to launch the Artemis II mission on April 1, in what will be the first manned trip around the Moon in more than half a century.

The agency made the decision after completing a key technical review that confirmed that the rocket and the ship are ready for liftoff.

With four astronauts on board, the Orion spacecraft will travel around the Moon before returning to Earth and landing in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first manned flight of the Artemis program and the first human journey beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The agency explained that the decision was made after resolving problems detected in the Space Launch System rocket during technical revisions carried out in recent months. “We have solved the identified flaws and the system is ready for the next launch attempt,” NASA officials said when announcing the new date at a press conference.

The first manned mission of the Artemis program will last approximately ten days and aims to test flight systems in deep space.

Mazo News Team