When Will the Artemis Rocket Launch?

NASA’s Artemis program represents the next frontier in human spaceflight, aiming to establish sustainable lunar exploration and pave the way for deep-space missions. Unlike the Apollo era, Artemis combines heavy-lift rocketry, advanced crew systems and commercial partnerships in a complex, multistage timeline. Understanding when Artemis will launch and how each mission builds toward a crewed lunar landing is essential for anyone following the evolution of space technology and exploration strategy.

A Complete Artemis Mission Timeline

The Artemis campaign is NASA’s flagship initiative to return humans to the Moon and establish a long-term presence in lunar space as a stepping stone to Mars and deep space. Unlike earlier Apollo missions, Artemis relies on a complex choreography of new technologies — including the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy lift rocket, the Orion crew capsule and commercial lunar landers — and each stage of this broader Artemis mission timeline reflects both engineering milestones and schedule risk management.

Here are the three critical missions that structure the program.

Artemis I: The Uncrewed Pathfinder

The Artemis program began with a critical shakedown flight — Artemis I, an uncrewed mission designed to validate systems and operations for future crewed missions. Artemis I successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 16, 2022 at 1:04 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). This mission sent the Orion spacecraft on a multi-week trajectory around the Moon, testing deep-space navigation, communications and reentry systems — foundational proofs for the rest of the Artemis mission timeline.

By completing this flight with minimal anomalies, Artemis I confirmed that SLS and Orion could withstand deep-space operations beyond low Earth orbit — a precondition for carrying astronauts farther than humans have traveled in half a century.

Artemis II: The First Crew Around the Moon

On the heels of Artemis I’s success, the next logical step in the Artemis mission timeline is a crewed orbital mission — Artemis II. This flight will be the first time humans have left Earth orbit since the Apollo era. According to NASA’s official planning, Artemis II is now scheduled to launch no earlier than early February 2026, with February 6, 2026 cited as the first targeted liftoff opportunity for a 10-day lunar-orbit mission.

The mission will carry four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back, marking the first crewed mission of the SLS and providing essential systems verification in deep space before lunar surface attempts.

As of early 2026, mission teams have rolled the SLS and Orion stack to the pad and begun final pre-launch tests, including a “wet dress rehearsal” — a full propellant load exercise replicating launch day procedures — to confirm readiness. Additional launch windows in March and April remain contingency options if schedule adjustments are required as the countdown progresses.

Beyond schedule coordination, the Artemis mission timeline is informed by technical integration challenges and risk mitigation — NASA has shifted target launch months several times to ensure integration of life-support systems, environmental control, radiation shielding and crew interface technologies inside Orion.

Artemis III: Back to the Lunar Surface

Completing the Artemis mission timeline is Artemis III, the mission that will return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis III builds directly on lessons from Artemis I and Artemis II by pairing Orion with a Human Landing System (HLS) — the lunar lander that will transfer astronauts from lunar orbit down to the Moon’s surface.

According to NASA’s official mission description, Artemis III is planned for launch by 2028. This mission includes a surface stay of approximately one week near the lunar South Pole, enabling scientific fieldwork, sample collection and exploration of previously inaccessible terrain.

Reaching this phase depends on three critical elements — readiness of the HLS, successful demonstration of Orion’s deep-space performance with a crew via Artemis II, and thorough end-to-end integrated testing of surface systems and suits. Delays in maturing landing systems or meeting qualification standards for lunar surface operations have influenced the broader Artemis launch schedule, pushing this mission’s target into the late 2020s.

Integrating Launch Dates Across the Artemis Mission Timeline

While individual launch dates in the Artemis mission timeline are provisional and subject to change due to engineering verification, the overall cadence reflects NASA’s phased approach to risk and capability maturation:

• Artemis I (Uncrewed): Launched Nov. 16, 2022, validated SLS and Orion in deep space.
• Artemis II (Crewed Lunar Orbit): Targeted for Feb. 6, 2026, with additional windows into Spring.
• Artemis III (Crewed Surface Landing): Targeted by 2028, pending lander integration and qualification.

Each of these milestones serves as a crucial node in the extended Artemis mission timeline, building capability and confidence toward sustained lunar exploration.

The Long Arc of Exploration

The Artemis mission timeline signals a transformative era in human space exploration. By re-establishing human access to lunar orbit and surface operations, NASA is laying the groundwork for a sustainable presence on the Moon — an infrastructure that will support scientific research, resource utilization and the development of technologies critical for deep-space missions. 

The program’s integration of government-led initiatives with commercial partnerships — including the Gateway lunar outpost, advanced life-support systems and reusable HLS — exemplifies a modern, collaborative approach to space exploration that leverages both public and private capabilities.

With Artemis II poised to launch astronauts around the Moon in early 2026 and Artemis III targeting a crewed lunar landing near the Moon’s South Pole by 2028, the Artemis mission timeline represents more than a series of discrete launches. 

It embodies decades of technological innovation, risk management and strategic planning, reflecting NASA’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of human presence in space. Each mission builds incrementally toward establishing a sustainable lunar architecture, serving as a testbed for deep-space operations and inspiring a new generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.

Ultimately, Artemis is more than just about returning to the Moon. It’s about transforming humanity’s approach to space travel, creating an enduring framework that enables exploration of Mars and beyond. The program’s meticulously planned, phased timeline ensures that every milestone strengthens the foundation for the next giant leap, positioning the Moon as both a destination and a proving ground for the future of human spaceflight.