NASA Unveils Artemis II Launch Windows: What We Know

Space agency is making final preparations for what will be the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than half a century.

Jack Daleo

Monday, January 12, 2026 at 03:30 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

Crews transport NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility to the Launch Abort System Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 10, 2025. [Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett]

Key Takeaways:

NASA has announced the first launch windows for Artemis II, a crewed mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon as the first deep-space flight beyond Earth orbit in over 50 years.
The earliest launch opportunity is set for February 6, with subsequent windows in March and April, as pre-launch preparations like vehicle rollout and critical system rehearsals are actively underway.

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NASA for the first time has announced launch windows for the first crewed spaceflight beyond Earth orbit in more than half a century.

The space agency on Friday said it is making final preparations for the Artemis II mission, which will send four astronauts around the moon and back as a precursor to Artemis III—humanity’s first mission to the treacherous lunar south pole, planned for as early as mid-2027.