NASA Clears SLS for Crewed Moon Launch, Targets April 1

NASA has confirmed what space watchers have been waiting for: the Artemis 2 mission is go for launch. The space agency completed its flight readiness review on March 12, 2026, and locked in a target launch window of April 1 at 6:24 p.m.

NASA has confirmed what space watchers have been waiting for: the Artemis 2 mission is go for launch.

The space agency completed its flight readiness review on March 12, 2026, and locked in a target launch window of April 1 at 6:24 p.m. EDT. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will roll out to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on March 19.

The four-person crew: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. This marks the first crewed deep space mission since Apollo 17 landed on the moon in December 1972 — over 53 years ago.

The road to this point wasn't smooth. NASA rolled the SLS back to the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 26 to address a helium flow issue. The fix was straightforward — a seal replacement in the quick disconnect assembly — but it underscored what anyone who's followed the Artemis program already knows: this rocket has struggled to reach the pad.

That's worth remembering even as the excitement builds. SLS has yet to fly crewed. Artemis 1 was an uncrewed test flight that circumnavigated the moon in 2022. Artemis 2 will do the same with humans aboard. It's a proving mission, not a landing — that comes with Artemis 3.

But April 1 will still be historic. The question is whether SLS can deliver on its second attempt with passengers aboard.

This article synthesizes reporting from Florida Today with verification against NASA's March 9, 2026 media advisory.

This article synthesizes Florida Today's reporting on NASA's Artemis 2 flight readiness review, with verification against NASA's official media advisory. The analysis on SLS's bumpy path to the pad is original reporting context.