FOR the first time in more than 50 years, humans are blasting off towards the Moon TONIGHT!
Nasa’s Artemis 2 mission is set to lift off from Florida, carrying four astronauts on a historic 10-day trip around the Moon and back.
What time is Artemis 2’s launch?
Nasa is targeting a liftoff time of 11.24pm BST tonight (Wednesday, April 1, 2026), which is 6.24pm local time (EDT).
A two-hour window is available, meaning the rocket could launch any time up until 1.24am BST on Thursday morning (8.24pm EDT on Wednesday).
If tonight’s attempt is scrubbed, backup dates are available between April 2 and April 6.
The weather forecast for April 1 shows an 80 per cent chance of favourable conditions, according to Nasa.
The crew have spent the final days of the countdown in quarantine inside Kennedy Space Center, following a controlled sleep schedule and nutrition plan to stay in peak condition ahead of launch.
Liftoff will take place from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will be the first people to launch towards the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.
Wiseman is mission commander, Glover is the pilot, and Koch and Hansen are mission specialists.
The crew have named their Orion spacecraft Integrity.
The spacecraft is set to pass around 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the Moon – further than any human has ever travelled in deep space.
The crew will not land on the lunar surface – that milestone is planned for Artemis 4, which Nasa is targeting for no earlier than 2028.
How can I watch Artemis 2’s launch?
You can follow the launch NOW on The Sun’s YouTube livestream.
Nasa will also stream the launch live on its YouTube channel, with coverage of fuelling operations beginning at 12.30pm BST (7.30am EDT) as teams load propellant into the Space Launch System.
Full coverage on the Nasa+ free streaming service begins at 5.50pm BST (12.50pm EDT).
The European Space Agency will also carry the launch live on ESA Web TV, with its broadcast beginning at 10.24pm BST (5.24pm EDT) – an hour before liftoff.
Nasa’s Artemis Real-time Orbit Website, known as AROW, lets you track the Orion spacecraft’s journey around the Moon as it happens.
It is available online and via the Nasa mobile app.
Exterior cameras have been fitted on the Orion capsule, with the aim of sending back live footage of the mission.
Nasa will also post updates throughout the 10-day trip on its Artemis blog at nasa.gov.
