WATCH LIVE UPDATES: Artemis II Launches from NASA’s KSC as Astronauts Blast Off on Historic Moon Mission — Watch Replay on Space Coast Daily!
By Space Coast Daily // April 2, 2026
WATCH VIDEO: Liftoff! Artemis II launched at 6:35 p.m. April 1 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B
WATCH LIVE: NASA’s Artemis II Crew Launches to the Moon. Watch here for continuing live coverage of Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the Artemis program.
ABOVE VIDEO: Liftoff! Artemis II launched at 6:35 p.m. April 1 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B. Artemis II Launches for Historic Mission Toward the Moon. The astronauts are off on the historic mission around the moon. Watch Replay on Space Coast Daily!
The Space Launch System rocket roared to life at Kennedy Space Center, producing nearly 9 million pounds of thrust as it carried the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft into space.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Liftoff! Artemis II launched at 6:35 p.m. April 1 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B. The astronauts are off on the historic mission around the moon.
It is a historic launch day as four astronauts liftoffed this evening on the Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m.
The crew, including commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, launched from Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, taking the Orion spacecraft on a 10-day test flight around the moon.
The Space Launch System rocket roared to life at Kennedy Space Center, producing nearly 9 million pounds of thrust as it carried the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft into space.
The mission marks NASA’s first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since 1972 and a major step toward returning humans to the lunar surface.
Aboard the spacecraft are Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
During the 10-day mission, the crew will travel around the moon but not land before returning to Earth, testing critical systems needed for future lunar missions.
NASA’s first crewed mission under the Artemis program, Artemis II, will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon.
