FULL MISSION TIMELINE — ARTEMIS II
Nov 16, 2022
★ MILESTONE
Artemis I Launch
Uncrewed Orion on SLS — 25.5 day lunar orbit mission. Validated heat shield (partially).
May 2024
⚙ ENGINEERING
Heat Shield Report
NASA OIG releases imagery of Artemis I heat shield erosion. Independent review team formed.
Jan 18, 2026
◇ PREP
Rollout to LC-39B
Integrated SLS + Orion rolls out of VAB on crawler-transporter.
Feb 2, 2026
◇ PREP
Wet Dress Rehearsal
Full countdown simulation. Propellant loading complete.
Feb 6-7, 2026
✗ SCRUB
Scrub (Weather)
Cold weather/winds push wet dress rehearsal back.
Feb 11, 2026
✗ SCRUB
Scrub (WDR Issues)
Issues during first wet dress rehearsal — launch date Feb 8 cancelled.
Mar 7, 2026
✗ SCRUB
Scrub (Helium Fault)
Helium flow fault in rocket upper stage found late February. March window scrubbed.
Mar 27, 2026
★ MILESTONE
Pre-Launch Ceremony
Zero-G indicator "Rise" announced. Crew walkdown at pad.
Apr 1 — 18:35 EDT
★ MILESTONE
LAUNCH
SLS liftoff from LC-39B. 8.8 million lbs thrust. Payload: 4 astronauts aboard Orion "Integrity".
Apr 1 — ~19:05
◆ FLIGHT
SRB Separation
Solid rocket boosters jettison at ~2 min.
Apr 1 — ~19:10
◆ FLIGHT
Core Stage Separation
SLS core stage separates. ICPS takes over.
Apr 1 — ~19:15
◆ FLIGHT
Solar Array Deploy
All 4 solar array wings deploy. Orion generating power.
Apr 1 — ~21:00
◆ FLIGHT
Proximity Operations
Glover manually pilots Orion around ICPS in LEO. Prox ops complete.
Apr 1 — ~22:00
⚠ ANOMALY
Toilet Fault / Recovery
Blinking fault light on toilet. Mission control resolved.
Apr 2 — TLI Burn
★ MILESTONE
Translunar Injection
~6 min ESM burn. First humans to leave Earth orbit since Apollo 17, Dec 1972.
Apr 3
○ OPS
Day 3 — Transit
Crew settles into deep space operations. Exercise, medical checks.
Apr 4
○ OPS
Day 4 — Transit
Outbound trajectory nominal. First trajectory correction burn cancelled — on track.
Apr 5
○ OPS
Day 5 — Transit
Crew >halfway to Moon. Lunar obs prep begins.
Apr 6
★ MILESTONE
Day 6 — Lunar Obs
Lunar observation period. Orion ~7,600 km beyond Moon at max distance. Record broken.
Apr 6-7
★ MILESTONE
Lunar Flyby
Free-return trajectory slingshot around Moon. ~406,773 km from Earth — new crewed record.
Apr 7-10
○ OPS
Return Transit
Orion on free-return trajectory back to Earth.
~Apr 11
★ MILESTONE
Splashdown
Pacific Ocean recovery. Heat shield tested at 25,000 mph / 40,000 km/h.
MISSION AT A GLANCE
| Mission Name | Artemis II |
| Launch Vehicle | SLS Block 1 |
| Spacecraft | Orion MPCV "Integrity" |
| Launch Site | LC-39B, KSC Florida |
| Launch Date | April 1, 2026 — 22:35 UTC |
| Mission Type | Crewed Lunar Flyby |
| Duration | ~10 days |
| Crew | 4 (3 NASA + 1 CSA) |
| SLS Flight No. | 2nd |
| Orion Flight No. | 1st crewed |
| Max Altitude | ~406,773 km |
PROGRAM TIMELINE
Nov 2022
Artemis I — Uncrewed
Validated SLS and Orion systems.
Apr 2026
Artemis II — Crewed Flyby ← NOW
First humans to lunar distance since 1972.
TBD ~2027
Artemis III — Lunar Landing
First woman and person of color on Moon. SpaceX Starship HLS lander.
TBD
Lunar Gateway
Cancelled March 2026. Future plans TBD.
KEY OBJECTIVES
✓
Test Orion life support with crew aboard
✓
Validate navigation in deep space
✓
Proximity operations demo (Glover)
✓
Deep space communication tests
✓
Crew physiological data collection
✓
AVATAR organ-on-chip experiments
○
Lunar observation imaging
○
Free-return trajectory validation
○
Heat shield performance data