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when is the artemis 2 launch

Artemis II is currently planned to launch in early 2026, with NASA targeting a launch no earlier than 6 February 2026 and keeping an official commitment of “no later than April 2026.”

Official NASA timeframe

  • NASA has stated that Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, is scheduled for no earlier than 6 February 2026.
  • The agency also reiterates that it is working toward launching the mission “no later than April 2026,” leaving room for schedule shifts due to technical or safety considerations.

Specific launch dates being discussed

  • Recent mission planning outlines a first launch window that opens 6 February 2026, with individual opportunities on 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11 February.
  • Tracking sites that follow launch manifests list a working target of 7 February 2026 (around 02:45 UTC), but this remains subject to change until NASA locks in an official launch date.

Why the date is still flexible

  • Artemis II is a complex, crewed lunar flyby, so the schedule depends on final vehicle integration, testing, and rehearsal milestones in early 2026.
  • NASA has emphasized that technical readiness and orbital constraints will ultimately determine the exact liftoff time, so expect the “when is the Artemis 2 launch” answer to stay in the “early 2026 window” until closer to launch day.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.