NASA will try its Artemis II launch again in early April

NASA will soon give it another go on April Fools’ Day. On Thursday, NASA said it’s targeting April 1 at 6:24 PM ET for the Artemis II mission’s next launch attempt.

In case that date doesn’t pan out, NASA added April 2 at 7:22 PM as a secondary launch opportunity. If necessary, the agency foresees several more openings between April 1 and 6 to get the Orion rocket into space. “Within those six days between the first and the sixth, we can’t always turn around every day for an attempt,” NASA acting associate administrator Lori Glaze said at a press conference. “We would anticipate […] about four opportunities within that six-day period.”

In preparation, NASA is targeting March 19 (a week from today) to roll Artemis II back out to the launch pad. However, it warned that further setbacks could occur. “While I am comfortable and the agency is comfortable with targeting April 1 as our first opportunity, just keep in mind we still have work to go,” Glaze said. “There are still things that need to be done within the [Vehicle Assembly Building] and out at the pad. As always, we’ll be guided by what the hardware is telling us, and we will launch when we’re ready.”

Artemis II is set to be NASA’s first crewed lunar mission since the early 1970s. The 10-day mission will carry four astronauts around the Moon and back to the Earth. It’s set to be the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft, and an important step toward the ultimate goal of a Moon landing.

Initially targeted for early February, the launch was pushed back to March after several issues arose during a wet dress rehearsal. Then, 18 days later, it was delayed again (and moved off the launch pad) when NASA discovered a helium flow blockage in the rocket’s upper stage. And it’s all happening against the backdrop of Administrator Jared Isaacman’s overhaul of the Artemis program, which includes postponing a scheduled Moon landing until 2028.