Update 1 April 2026 08:36 a.m. CDT: The countdown is underway, and the Artemis rocket is being fueled with super-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen in preparation for launch. Launch is still scheduled for the beginning of the launch window at 5:24 p.m. CDT. The Dome@Home online watch party (on the Museum’s Facebook page and YouTube channel) will begin at 3:00 p.m. today and feature feeds and content from across NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.

Past updates:

Update 06:48 a.m. CDT: Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has given the GO to fuel the giant Space Launch System rocket. Over the next several hours, liquid hydrogen and oxygen will fill the orange fuel tank of the rocket’s core stage and the upper ICPS (Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Unit) stage. Launch is still targeting the beginning of the 2-hour launch window at 5:24 p.m. CDT.

Update 31 Match 2026 14:01 p.m. CDT: The Artemis II countdown continues throughout the day as launch controllers prepare NASA’s most powerful rocket ever for its Wednesday launch attempt. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:24 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, April 1st. If the launch is delayed, there are further opportunities daily until the 6th, and then another “window” opens on April 30th.

Join us for an online launch party on the Manitoba Museum’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The event currently is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, April 1st.

This month, if all goes well, a Canadian astronaut will fly around the Moon. The Artemis II mission, years in preparation, is set to launch NET (not earlier than) April 1, 2026 at 5:24 pm Central Daylight Time from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard will be three American Astronauts and Canadian Jeremy Hansen. Scroll down for the latest updates!

Background

If you didn’t know we were less than two weeks away from a Canadian lunar astronaut mission, it’s not surprising. News headlines have been dominated with many other issues, but that’s not the only reason. For the first time since its formation, NASA has been very close-lipped about the dates and times of any of the events leading up to the mission. We only got possible launch dates a couple of weeks ago, when usually these would be set and released months in advance. The Canadian Space Agency has been under the news embargo as well, although they have some excellent resources on the mission background and on our astronauts.

Jeremy Hansen is a Mission Specialist on the Artemis II mission, along with American astronauts Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), and Christina Koch (Mission Specialist). They will spend nearly 10 days aboard their Orion spacecraft, named “Integrity”, for the first crewed launch of the giant Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission will test the spacecraft in Earth orbit, and then head out on a long, looping orbit which will slingshot them around the Moon and back to Earth.

There are plenty of articles which detail the mission, Jeremy’s role, and Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons, who is Jeremy’s back-up for the mission. This blog will focus on the latest news on the mission and any updates we get on the timing.

Update 30 Mar 2026 14:37 CDT: The countdown begins today for the April 1 launch of Artemis II! The nearly-50-hour process of preparing the rocket for launch, loading the crew, and finally launching begins at 3:44 p.m. CDT today.

Update 24 Feb 2026 08:53 CST: Launch Delayed to April. Just after completing a successful Wet Dress Rehearsal on February 20th, NASA teams found an issue with the rocket’s upper stage, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion System (ICPS). The ICPS uses helium to pressurize the tanks and engine, and this system worked fine during the test. However, during post-test operations the helium wouldn’t flow. Unfortunately, the helium system is not accessible at the launch pad, and so the entire vehicle has to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for troubleshooting and more testing – that is happening Wednesday, February 25th, and should take about 12 hours. Finding and fixing the issue and still making one of the possible March launch days was deemed unlikely, and so NASA has officially bumped to the April launch window. The earliest possible launch is now April 1st at 5:24 p.m. Central Time (6:24 p.m. local time at the launch site in Florida).

Update 20 Feb 2026 08:56 CST: Success!  Yesterday’s Artemis II rehearsal countdown was completed successfully, hopefully clearing the way for an early March launch. The nearly fifty-hour “wet dress rehearsal” saw the 98-m (322-foot) rocket fully fueled without any of troublesome hydrogen leaks seen during the first test two weeks ago. The count stopped at T-33 seconds as planned, and held there to demonstrate that even a last-minute issue with the rocket could be dealt with without a full countdown reset. And there was one – a minor issue that was dealt with and solved in about three and a half minutes, which would not have delayed a real launch. The countdown clock was then reset to T-1o minutes and the “terminal count” run a second time, this time stopping at T-29 seconds.

The test shows NASA has solved the hydrogen leak issues, but also that it can hold during the terminal countdown to deal with issues such as weather, range safety violations (like when a tourist boat sails into the restricted area), and other transitory events without delaying the launch. Each launch window is two hours long, which gives plenty of time to be able to solve issues, top up the fuel tanks again, and still head to the Moon.

The four-person crew of Artemis II – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Kristina Koch (all NASA astronauts) and Canadian Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen – were not involved in the test, remaining in Houston where they are preparing for a March 6 launch. Even without them, the pad crew went through the motions of closing the hatches to ensure all processes were practiced one more time.

NASA plans a press conference at 10 a.m. Central Time today to discuss the results of the test. The earliest possible launch (due to the position of the Moon, the spacecraft’s required trajectory, and requirements for reentry)  is March 6th, 2026 at 7:29 p.m. Central Time (8:29 p.m. local time at the launch site in Florida).

Update 18 Feb 2026 9:07 a.m. CST – Second Wet Dress Rehearsal Underway! NASA began its second dress rehearsal for the Artemis II launch yesterday on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Controllers were called to stations at about 7:00 p.m. Central Time for the nearly 50-hour countdown which will put the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft Integrity through a full rehearsal of fueling and preparation for launch.

This rehearsal comes two weeks after the first attempt ended prematurely with some hydrogen leaks, a persistent issue with hydrogen-fueled rockets. Hydrogen is the smallest and lightest element, which means it can sneak through even the tightest seals to some degree.

Most of the visible action will occur on Thursday, when the rocket will be fully fueled and powered up for launch. The countdown will run until T-33 seconds, which is when the automatic launch sequence would take over the count from the human flight controllers. NASA will then run through the last ten minutes (the “terminal count”) a few times, simulating a minor delay which requires a few extra minutes to resolve.

The four-person crew – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot David Glover, Mission Specialist Kristina Koch, and Mission Specialist (and Canadian) Jeremy Hansen – is not involved in the test and is still in Houston. Despite this, the pad crew will still go through the motions of closing the hatches as if this was an actual launch. Depending on the results of the test, the earliest possible launch date for Artemis II is March 6, 2026 at 7:29 p.m. Central Time (8:29 p.m. local time in Florida).

Next update is expected Thursday morning, unless conditions warrant an earlier update.

Update 3 Feb 2026 9:29 a.m. CST – Launch delayed: Based on the results of the wet dress rehearsal yesterday (Feb 2), the launch of Artemis II has been bumped to the March launch window. This means the first possible launch will occur on March 6, 2026 at 8:29 p.m. CST. The countdown will begin roughly 48 hours before that.

Update 3 Feb 2026 9:29 a.m. CST – Launch delayed: Based on the results of the wet dress rehearsal yesterday (Feb 2), the launch of Artemis II has been bumped to the March launch window. This means the first possible launch will occur on March 6, 2026 at 8:29 p.m. CST. The countdown will begin roughly 48 hours before that.

Update 2026 Feb. 2 12:43 p.m. CST: Did I post too soon? Hydrogen flow stopped “for troubleshooting”; liquid oxygen flow continues.

Update 2026 Feb 2 12:02 p.m. CST: They are now starting to chill down the ICPS, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion System – the second stage of the SLS Block I. This involves feeding a bit of the super-cold hydrogen and oxygen into the tanks, so that the warm tanks don’t boil off too much as they fill. We do the same thing at the Science Gallery when we use liquid nitrogen.

That seems to indicate that the fueling of the big orange stage one tank went well? That was an issue on Artemis I – dealing with hydrogen is hard, since it is the smallest element in the periodic table and can leak through almost any other substance. So maybe no news is good news?

Update 2026 Feb 2 11:25 a.m. CST: Go for tanking! The Artemis II rocket is being fueled in today’s wet dress rehearsal, which is targeting a *simulated* launch window at 8:00 p.m. CST tonight. They will count all the way down to T-33 seconds, fueling the rocket and doing everything except putting the crew on board. They’ll count all the way down to T-33 seconds, then rest the clock for T-10 minutes and do it again. This simulates the need to delay the launch for a while due to things like weather or a small glitch that they need a few minutes to deal with. Each launch window is two hours long, so they have some wiggle room.

If all goes well in today’s test, NASA is targeting Sunday, February 8 at 10:20 p.m. CST for the launch of Jeremy Hansen and the rest of the Artemis II crew on their 1-day mission around the Moon. Stay tuned!

Update 2026 Feb 2 9:24 a.m. CST: Wet Dress Rehearsal Underway! The Wet Dress Rehearsal, the last major test of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft before launch, began at 8:13 p.m. on January 31, 2026. The “interesting” bits will be occurring today (Feb 2, 2026) as they decide whether they can fuel the rocket or not. Looking at the cold, they may not, which would delay the test and push the launch to the March launch window. Waiting to see!

UPDATE 2026 Jan 30 1:14 p.m. CST: The Artemis Wet Dress Rehearsal has been delayed due to a cold front rolling through Florida over the next few days. The last major test is now scheduled for Feb. 2, which means the earliest launch opportunity has slipped to February 8th at 10:20 p.m. CST.

Update 28 Jan 2026 09:40 am CST

As of now, the giant SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft is sitting on the launch pad, awaiting the final test, known as the “wet dress rehearsal”. This is a complete countdown rehearsal from L-10 hours and 40 minutes, including fueling the rocket with cryogenic (supercold) hydrogen and oxygen (hence “wet”). The crew does not board the rocket, and they go all the way down to 33 seconds, when the computer would take over the automated launch sequence. This makes sure there are no leaks, that all the batteries and communications work, and that everything is safe to put humans on top of the rocket. A day or so after the wet dress rehearsal, they will do it all again for real.

As of this writing the wet dress rehearsal is scheduled for January 31, which should leave plenty of time for a February 6 launch. So, as things stand launch will occur at 8:41 pm CST on February 6. But this is of course subject to change, based on any troubles in the dress rehearsal or any other technical or weather issues on launch day.