https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/03/31/nasa-teams-readying-artemis-ii-moon-rocket-for-launch/ NASA Logo * Explore Search[ ] NASA Logo * News & Events News & Events + News Releases + Recently Published + Video Series on NASA+ + Podcasts & Audio + Blogs + Newsletters + Social Media + Media Resources + Events + Upcoming Launches & Landings + Virtual Guest Program * Multimedia Multimedia + NASA+ + Images + NASA Live + NASA Apps + Podcasts + Image of the Day + e-Books + Interactives + STEM Multimedia + NASA Brand & Usage Guidelines * NASA+ Search[ ] Suggested Searches * Climate Change * Artemis * Expedition 64 * Mars perseverance * SpaceX Crew-2 * International Space Station * View All Topics A-Z * Home * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * Espanol ----------------------------------------------------------------- * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ Featured [countdown] 7 min read NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown article5 days ago [suit-patch] 11 min read NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission Daily Agenda article3 weeks ago [2026-02-03-screenshot-258-2560x1440-1] 3 min read Track NASA's Artemis II Mission in Real Time article4 weeks ago Back --------------------------------------------------------------------- Missions * Search All NASA Missions * A to Z List of Missions * Upcoming Launches and Landings * Spaceships and Rockets * Communicating with Missions * Artemis * James Webb Space Telescope * Hubble Space Telescope * International Space Station * OSIRIS-Rex Humans in Space * Why Go to Space * Astronauts * Commercial Space * Destinations * Spaceships and Rockets * Living in Space Earth * Explore Earth Science * Climate Change * Earth, Our Planet * Earth Science in Action * Earth Multimedia * Earth Data * Earth Science Researchers The Solar System * The Sun * Mercury * Venus * Earth * The Moon * Mars * Jupiter * Saturn * Uranus * Neptune * 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Artemis II Astronauts, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on Sun 7 min read To Protect Artemis II Astronauts, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on Sun article 2 weeks ago Highlights Artemis II Podcast Series 1 min read Artemis II Podcast Series article 4 days ago NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown 7 min read NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown article 5 days ago The Science Behind 'Project Hail Mary' 4 min read The Science Behind 'Project Hail Mary' article 1 week ago Highlights Landsat Reveals Reservoir Changes and Bathymetry 5 min read Landsat Reveals Reservoir Changes and Bathymetry article 8 hours ago Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands 3 min read Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands article 19 hours ago Seeing Blue During Schirmacher's Summer Melt Season 5 min read Seeing Blue During Schirmacher's Summer Melt Season article 2 days ago Highlights NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon 6 min read NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon article 4 days ago NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science 3 min read NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science article 4 days ago Artemis II Podcast Series 1 min read Artemis II Podcast Series article 4 days ago Featured NASA Webb, Hubble Share Most Comprehensive View of Saturn to Date 6 min read NASA Webb, Hubble Share Most Comprehensive View of Saturn to Date article 6 days ago NASA-JAXA's XRISM Telescope Clocks Hot Wind of Galaxy M82 5 min read NASA-JAXA's XRISM Telescope Clocks Hot Wind of Galaxy M82 article 6 days ago The Science Behind 'Project Hail Mary' 4 min read The Science Behind 'Project Hail Mary' article 1 week ago Highlights A.4 Rapid Response and Novel Research in Earth Science Corrections 1 min read A.4 Rapid Response and Novel Research in Earth Science Corrections article 1 day ago NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon 6 min read NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon article 4 days ago NISAR's View of Mount Rainier 2 min read NISAR's View of Mount Rainier article 4 days ago Highlights NASA Selects Finalists in Student Aircraft Maintenance Competition 4 min read NASA Selects Finalists in Student Aircraft Maintenance Competition article 1 week ago NASA's X-59 Experimental Supersonic Aircraft Makes Second Flight 2 min read NASA's X-59 Experimental Supersonic Aircraft Makes Second Flight article 2 weeks ago NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment 2 min read NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment article 2 weeks ago Highlights Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands 3 min read Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands article 19 hours ago I Am Artemis: Erik Richards 3 min read I Am Artemis: Erik Richards article 4 days ago NASA Tech and Science Bound for Low Earth Orbit on Commercial Launch 6 min read NASA Tech and Science Bound for Low Earth Orbit on Commercial Launch article 4 days ago Featured Join the Artemis Mission to the Moon 1 min read Join the Artemis Mission to the Moon article 4 months ago Featured NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission Daily Agenda 11 min read NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission Daily Agenda article 3 weeks ago Preparing for Artemis II: Training for a Mission Around the Moon 4 min read Preparing for Artemis II: Training for a Mission Around the Moon article 2 months ago Track NASA's Artemis II Mission in Real Time 3 min read Track NASA's Artemis II Mission in Real Time article 4 weeks ago Highlights La NASA anuncia la cobertura de la mision lunar Artemis II 11 min read La NASA anuncia la cobertura de la mision lunar Artemis II article 6 days ago Agenda diaria de la mision a la Luna de Artemis II de la NASA 15 min read Agenda diaria de la mision a la Luna de Artemis II de la NASA article 3 weeks ago La NASA refuerza Artemis: anade una mision y perfecciona su arquitectura general 6 min read La NASA refuerza Artemis: anade una mision y perfecciona su arquitectura general article 4 weeks ago Missions [JASON-COST] Jason Costa March 31, 2026 2:48PM Categories ArtemisArtemis 2Christina H. KochExploration Ground SystemsG. Reid WisemanKennedy Space CenterOrion Multi-Purpose Crew VehicleSpace Launch System (SLS)Victor J. Glover Also Featured In Artemis * * * NASA Teams Readying Artemis II Moon Rocket for Launch Four NASA Artemis II astronauts at the launch pad with the SLS rocket in the back. From left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, stop for a group photograph as they visit NASA's Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, Monday, March 30, 2026, at Launch Complex 39B of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Bill Ingalls As the Artemis II countdown moves steadily toward liftoff no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, April 1, launch teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida continue completing a sequence of highly choreographed steps to ready the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the crew's journey around the Moon. The weather forecast for launch day shows an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions with primary concerns being cumulus clouds, ground winds, and solar weather. NASA and weather officers with the U.S. Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 will continue to monitor the weather leading up to liftoff. Engineers began the day by finishing critical health checks on the rocket's four RS-25 engines, confirming that sensors, connections, and diagnostics were all performing as expected. Their readiness marks an important milestone as cryogenic operations approach. Meanwhile, the SLS upper stage - the interim cryogenic propulsion stage - having completed its earlier power-up and verification activities, was powered down into a safe, stable configuration. Teams also brought the Orion spacecraft's flight batteries to full charge, ensuring dependable power for avionics, life support, and communications throughout launch and early flight. Soon after, engineers began charging the rocket's core stage flight batteries, which is another essential step to support sensors and control systems during launch and ascent. As launch approaches, preparations increasingly focus on operations to support the crew. Engineers performed regulator leak checks on the astronauts' pressure suits inside Orion, verifying airtight seals and pressure control systems. These checks ensure the suits are ready to protect the crew in the unlikely event of cabin depressurization. Tonight at Launch Complex 39B, engineers will shift the pad environment toward its final configuration. All non-essential personnel will depart the area, leaving only the specialists required for the remaining prelaunch tasks. Clearing the pad minimizes risk as cryogenic loading draws closer. In the early morning hours of launch day, teams will activate another critical component of the countdown: the ground launch sequencer. This automated system will orchestrate thousands of commands in the final minutes before liftoff, managing valve movements, system transitions, and timing cues that prepare the rocket for the terminal count. Finally, engineers will initiate the air-to-gaseous nitrogen changeover inside the rocket's cavities, which is an important safety step that replaces atmospheric air with inert nitrogen gas. By displacing oxygen and moisture, technicians create a stable, non-reactive environment ahead of fueling operations. NASA broadcast coverage of tanking operations begins on launch day at 7:45 a.m. EDT on NASA's YouTube channel, as teams load propellant into the SLS rocket. Full launch coverage begins at 12:50 p.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media. NASA's first crewed mission under the Artemis program, Artemis II will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch , and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon. Graphic of the Artemis II visibility map. This map shows where the Artemis II launch will be visible to skywatchers in Florida and southern Georgia. NASA [JASON-COST] Jason Costa March 31, 2026 2:48PM Categories ArtemisArtemis 2Christina H. KochExploration Ground SystemsG. Reid WisemanKennedy Space CenterOrion Multi-Purpose Crew VehicleSpace Launch System (SLS)Victor J. Glover Also Featured In Artemis * * * More from Missions Previous Post[NHQ2026032] NASA's Artemis II Launch Mission Countdown Begins March 30, 2026 NASA Logo National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. * About NASA's Mission Join Us * Home * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * NASA en Espanol (opens in new tab) Follow NASA * * * * * More NASA Social Accounts * NASA Newsletters * Sitemap * For Media * Privacy Policy * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of the IG (opens in new tab) * Budget & Annual Reports * Agency Financial Reports * Contact NASA * Accessibility * Page Last Updated: Mar 31, 2026 * Page Editor: Jason Costa * Responsible NASA Official: Abigail Bowman