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when do the astronauts get to the moon

The astronauts are already on their way to the Moon: NASA’s Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026, and is expected to reach the Moon about four days after launch. NASA says the mission is a roughly 10-day lunar flyby, not a landing.

Quick scoop

  • Launch: April 1, 2026.
  • Time to the Moon: about 4 days after launch.
  • Mission type: fly around the Moon and return to Earth, not land on it.

What that means

If you mean “when do they get there?” , the best current estimate is around April 5–6, 2026 , depending on the exact mission timeline and flight path.

Tiny timeline

  1. Launch from Earth.
  1. Spend about a day in Earth orbit for checks.
  1. Head toward the Moon for roughly four days.
  1. Swing around the Moon and begin the trip home.

If you want, I can also give you the exact day-by-day Artemis II mission schedule in a simple table.