NASA targets early April for Artemis II crewed lunar fly-by mission

Exam-focused facts from the 14 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

NASA plans to launch Artemis II in early April, with the earliest possible launch date of 1 April.
The mission was delayed from March after a helium leak forced the rocket’s return to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The four-member crew comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
During the 10-day mission the crew will fly around the far side of the Moon and return to Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
NASA will not conduct another wet dress rehearsal; the next time the rocket is fuelled will be for launch.
Artemis II has already been delayed by two years following heat-shield issues uncovered after the uncrewed Artemis I mission.