NASA sets earliest February 6 launch for Artemis II to return Americans to the moon

NASA announced Artemis II's earliest launch is February 6 within a January 31–February 14 window, and the crewed 10-day mission will fly four astronauts around the moon without landing.

NASA has announced the timing for Artemis II, the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972. The agency named February 6 as the earliest launch date and said the official launch window runs January 31 to February 14. The mission will carry four astronauts on a 10-day flight that will fly around the moon and return to Earth. Artemis II will not land; a lunar landing is planned later in the Artemis program. Key details: - Earliest launch: February 6; official window January 31–February 14. - Named backup February dates: 7, 8, 10 and 11; additional dates in early March and April are reserved. - Crew of four: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. - Mission profile: about 10 days, lunar flyby and return; no lunar landing on Artemis II. - Vehicle and site: Orion spacecraft atop NASA's SLS rocket at Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral. - This will be the first human mission beyond low Earth orbit in 53 years. Summary: The announcement restarts US crewed lunar flights after more than five decades and advances verification of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket with humans aboard. NASA teams will continue final launch preparations, including rollout and fueling rehearsals, and will use backup dates if the February window is missed. Artemis III, currently planned as the first Artemis lunar landing, remains scheduled for 2027.