Before they set off on a historic flight to the moon next week, the four astronauts of the Artemis II crew had to make one final terrestrial commute—to Florida.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on March 27, five days before their scheduled April 1 liftoff. The astronauts flew themselves from Houston, which houses NASA’s Johnson Space Center, in two T-38 training jets and then disembarked to speak with reporters.
The 10-day mission will mark the first time humans have left Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission ended in 1972. Depending on the precise trajectory their spacecraft takes, the Artemis II crew may travel farther from Earth than any humans to date.
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“Hey, let’s go to the moon!” said Wiseman, the mission commander, to open the crew’s remarks. “I think the nation and the world has been waiting a long time to do this again.”
“I am fired up,” Hansen added. “We’re all fired up to go do this.”
Artemis II is due to blast off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B at 6:24 P.M. EDT on April 1. If the mission is scrubbed during the initial two-hour window, additional launch opportunities will continue through April 6.
The crew has been in medical quarantine since March 18 to protect their voyage from hitchhiking germs. Although the astronauts previously isolated for target launch dates in February and March that were ultimately delayed, this represents the first attempt that has seen the crew land in Florida.
Wiseman acknowledged that even with several upcoming opportunities, his feet may stay on the ground for weeks or even months to come. “We are ready for that,” he said. “A little piece of my brain is always holding on that April 1 is not a guarantee, April 6 is not a guarantee.”
Glover concurred. “It’ll go when the engines light at T-zero; we totally understand that.”
Despite the looming uncertainties of rocket science, the crew remains focused. Koch shared how moved she was that, during the flight over, an air traffic controller wished her and the crew luck on the launch. “We’re ready to do this and fulfill our mission for all of you,” she said.
Editor’s Note (3/27/26): This is a developing story and may be updated.