Countdown is underway for the launch of Artemis II mission on April 2. According to NASA, liftoff is targeted for 3:54 am IST [6:24 am EDT, April 1] from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and all systems are healthy and ready to go.
Weather conditions seem 80% favourable for the mission although the agency and its partners are watching out for primary concerns such as cumulus clouds, ground winds, and solar weather.
The weather’s looking good for tomorrow’s Artemis II launch, and our teams are getting the rocket ready for liftoff!
Read the latest updates on our mission around the Moon: https://t.co/doIjUqa1cx pic.twitter.com/TtoI6FIkvl
— NASA (@NASA) March 31, 2026
When and where to watch Artemis II launch live?
The live coverage of tanking operations will begin at 5:15 pm IST on April 1 [7:45 am EDT on Apr 1] on NASA’s YouTube channel and the full launch coverage will begin at 10:20 pm IST April 1 [12:50 pm EDT Apr 1] on the agency’s YouTube channel, NASA+ and Amazon Prime.
Several other YouTube channels like NASA Spaceflight and Everyday Astronaut will also stream the launch live from location.
About NASA’s Artemis II mission
Artemis II is the first crewed lunar mission since December 1972, when NASA launched Apollo 17 – the last of the Apollo program. Flying on this lunar flight are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Christian Koch (mission specialist), Victor Glover (mission pilot) and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist).
The crew of four will fly on the Orion spacecraft for a ten-day trip around the Moon and return after testing Orion’s critical systems and conducting experiments in deep space. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is standing tall at Launch Complex 39B and all systems look ready to go, said NASA.
“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,” the agency said in a statement.
They also ensured Orion is live and its batteries fully charged for critical elements necessary for life support and communications. Moving forward, the teams will conduct final checks up until terminal count.
Artemis II is on schedule for launch tomorrow at 6:24 p.m ET.
We’re monitoring an extremely complex vehicle, but everything is lining up. The rocket is healthy, the spacecraft is ready, the crew is in position, and the weather is looking good.
America is on track to return to… pic.twitter.com/vSJZycYW4q
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) March 31, 2026
“We’re monitoring an extremely complex vehicle, but everything is lining up. The rocket is healthy, the spacecraft is ready, the crew is in position, and the weather is looking good,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman posted on X.
In the past few weeks, Isaacman has made sweeping changes at NASA and the Artemis program to ensure American boots are on the lunar surface in 2028. He has also been vocal about the space race with China, which plans to land its own astronauts on the Moon before 2030.
During an interview with NASA Spaceflight on Wednesday, Isaacman said, “We can be above the Moon looking down, or we can be on the Moon. You decide what is more important,” joking that he’ll be “fired” if “our rival gets to the Moon before us.”
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