First Time is the Charm! Four Astronauts Headed to the Moon

First Time is the Charm! Four Astronauts Headed to the Moon

By Marcia Smith | Posted: April 1, 2026 11:23 pm ET | Last Updated: April 1, 2026 11:26 pm ET

All the hard work to get the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft ready to send four people around the Moon for the first time in 53 years paid off today. The few technical hiccups that arose during the countdown were quickly resolved. Liftoff was at 6:35:12 pm ET, just a few minutes past the opening of the two-hour launch window.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are in earth orbit tonight, preparing to head for the Moon tomorrow.


They’ll be the first humans to travel that far from Earth since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander (NASA), Victor Glover, pilot (NASA), Christina Koch, mission specialist (NASA), and Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist (Canadian Space Agency), in front of their Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B, March 30, 2026. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

Last minute technical surprises and weather challenges are so common with space launches that the smooth countdown today was a bit of a surprise. Hydrogen leaks that delayed the uncrewed launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion for months on its first mission in 2022 were absent today. What few problems emerged during countdown — a communications issue with the Flight Termination System and an apparent problem with one of two batteries on the Launch Abort System that turned out to be a sensor issue — were quickly resolved.

The 2-hour launch window opened at 6:24 pm ET and launch took place just a few minutes later at 6:35:12 pm ET.

The crew will spend a day in earth orbit checking out the spacecraft, which they named Integrity, before beginning their trip around the Moon. On this test flight they won’t go into orbit, much less land, but use a “free-return” trajectory that will bring them back to Earth even if their propulsion system doesn’t perform as planned.  If all goes well, they’ll splash down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10 similar to the last crew that reached lunar distance, Apollo 17 in 1972.

NASA’s new moon program is Artemis, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology. This mission, Artemis II, is the beginning of what is planned as long-term sustained presence on the Moon. Artemis began during President Trump’s first term, but delays in the SLS/Orion system, especially unexpected char loss on the Orion heat shield, development of the Starship Human Landing System by SpaceX, and of lunar spacesuits by Axiom Space, has pushed the date for the first lunar landing since Apollo from 2024 to 2028.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently announced major changes to the Artemis program, but still plans to land astronauts on the Moon by 2028, before Trump’s second term ends and before Chinese taikonauts arrive there around 2030.

Trump congratulated NASA and the astronauts this evening at the opening of a speech to the nation about the situation with Iran.

Let me begin by congratulating the team at NASA and our brave astronauts on the successful launch of Artemis II. It was quite something. It will be traveling further than any manned rocket has ever flown, and will very substantially pass the Moon, go around it, and come back home from a distance that has never been done before. It’s amazing. They are on their way and God bless them.” — President Trump

The crew will indeed set a new record for the furthest any humans have traveled from Earth — 252,799 statute miles (406,841 kilometers) — if all continues to go as planned. That’s about 4,000 miles (6,400 km) further than the crew of Apollo 13.

In 1970, the Apollo 13 crew was enroute to the Moon when their Service Module exploded, severely damaging the spacecraft and imperiling their lives. Mission controllers in Houston were able to use the descent engine on their Lunar Module to put them onto a free-return trajectory that brought them safely home. They reached a distance of 248,655 statute miles (400,171 km).

The Artemis II crew has made clear that setting records is not on their mind as they test out SLS/Orion to pave the way for future flights to the Moon and Mars.  They often say they’ll be successful when future missions are successful because of what they demonstrate on this flight.

The United States is the only country to send astronauts to the Moon. Including Apollo 13, nine crews made the trip. Two (Apollo 8 and 10) orbited the Moon.  Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 landed.  All of the crew members were white American males. By comparison, Artemis II includes the first African American, Victor Glover, the first woman, Christina Koch, and the first international astronaut, Canada’s Jeremy Hansen.

For all their political differences, Republicans and Democrats are united in their determination to ensure Americans are back on the Moon before Chinese taikonauts arrive. In addition to Trump’s statement, congratulations from key Senate and House appropriators and authorizers were pervasive tonight. Their support will be crucial in getting NASA the money it needs to execute those plans. The FY2027 budget request is expected to be released on Friday.

Among the appropriators cheering on the astronauts are Senate Appropriations Committee chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) subcommittee chair Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), as well as House Appropriations Committee chair Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) and CJS subcommittee chair Hal Rogers (R-Kentucky), and CJS subcommittee Ranking Member Grace Meng (D-New York).


NASA’s Senate and House authorizing committees also are strongly supportive. That includes Senate Commerce Committee Chair Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who added $10 billion for NASA’s exploration program to the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last summer, and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), as well as House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chair Brian Babin (R-Texas) and House SS&T Democrats.

 

NASA is providing 24/7 coverage of the mission on its YouTube channel.

Last Updated: Apr 01, 2026 11:26 pm ET

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