Artemis II Set For Early 2026 Launch After Rehearsal

While you were likely scrambling to buy last-minute Christmas presents for your friends and family, NASA completed a vital rehearsal for its upcoming crewed mission to the Moon. The space agency conducted a countdown demonstration test last Saturday in preparation for Artemis II. The actual launch, scheduled for early 2026, will see four astronauts set off to perform a flyby around the Moon. While there won't be a lunar landing, the mission will be the first time NASA has sent astronauts anywhere near the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The dry run saw NASA's launch and flight control teams walk through the final 5.5 hours of launch day. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen put on their spacesuits and climbed into their Orion capsule as if they were blasting off. The only significant difference is that the rocket was still inside the Vehicle Assembly Building rather than on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Recently confirmed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a release:

"This test marks the passage of a key milestone on America's journey to the launchpad. We have many more to go, but I'm encouraged by the expertise and precision demonstrated by our teams as we continue NASA's ambitious lunar exploration legacy."

Artemis II's lunar flyby will serve as a crucial test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. As it stands, Artemis III is planned to be NASA's first lunar landing since 1972. The mission progression echoes the course of the Apollo program, which featured two crewed missions to the Moon before Apollo 11. In December 1968, Apollo 8 marked the Saturn V rocket's debut, as the mission orbited the Moon 10 times before returning to Earth. Apollo 10 lifted off in May 1969 as a lunar landing dress rehearsal.

There was only a two-month gap between Apollo 10 and Apollo 11. However, the lull between Artemis II and Artemis III will be much longer. NASA expects its next lunar landing to happen in the middle of 2027, at least a year after the lunar flyby. This schedule assumes that there are no more delays. There isn't currently a lander for Artemis III, as SpaceX's development of a Starship-based lander has fallen behind schedule, despite Elon Musk's claims that his company could get to the Moon cheaper and faster than the federal agency. NASA reopened competition for the lander contract in October. There's also the possibility of Artemis III ditching a landing altogether. Don't worry, President Trump signed an executive order demanding that NASA land on the Moon by 2028, his final year in office. The order doesn't carry any additional funding, but I'm totally sure that will prevent any more delays.