HOUSTON, Texas — Astronauts set to fly on Artemis II departed Houston on Friday morning en route to Florida, marking a major step toward a historic return to the moon.
The crew lifted off from Ellington Airport and is heading to the Kennedy Space Center ahead of a potential launch as early as April 1.
The four-member team includes commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. They are joined by backup crew members Andre Douglas and Jenni Gibbons.
Staff from NASA Johnson Space Center gathered at the airport to send off the astronauts, underscoring the mission’s significance. Officials described the launch as a milestone not just for the crew, but for the broader NASA team supporting the effort.
NASA is targeting early April for liftoff after earlier launch windows in February and March were delayed due to technical issues. A mission management team meeting scheduled for Monday is expected to determine whether to proceed with a 48-hour countdown toward an April 1 launch. Backup launch opportunities extend through April 6.
Artemis II will be the first crewed lunar mission in more than five decades, following the Apollo program era. The mission will send astronauts on a journey around the moon and back to Earth, serving as a critical test of spacecraft systems ahead of future lunar landings.
NASA aims to land astronauts on the moon in a later mission, currently targeted for 2028. In preparation, the Artemis II crew has been in quarantine in Houston and will remain in isolation in Florida to ensure their health leading up to launc