Final Preparations Underway for NASA’s Moon Mission

Tiffany L. Fairley 

March 29, 2026 10:49AM

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are making final preparations toward beginning launch countdown activities for the Artemis II mission, set to launch as early as Wednesday, April 1.

The weather forecast for launch day shows an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions with primary concerns being cloud coverage and the potential for high winds in the area. Teams will continue to monitor the weather in the coming days.

On Sunday, NASA is hosting a virtual Q&A at 11:30 a.m. EDT with the Artemis II astronauts from their quarantine quarters at Kennedy, as well as mission check-in at 2 p.m. with program leadership. Get the full listing of upcoming briefings and for the latest updates on the Artemis blog.

Artemis II Crew Arrives at Launch Site, Shares Moon Mascot

From left to right, Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from CSA (Canadian Space Agency), Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover, arrive on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the Artemis II test flight. The Artemis II mission will take the crew on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 1. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II test flight arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, March 27. NASA continues to target as soon as Wednesday, April 1, for launch within a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT.

During remarks at Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman announced “Rise,” designed by Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California, as the zero gravity indicator that will fly with the crew around the Moon. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 mission. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space.

Image shows a white round plushy with a smiley face that has been sewn together with a hat designed in colors reflecting the Earth and a hat bill showing the galaxy with stars and rockets sewn on. Credit: NASA

“Rise,” designed by Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California, as the zero gravity indicator that will fly with the crew around the Moon. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 mission. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space.

Credit: NASA

The design was selected from more than 2,600 submissions from over 50 countries, including K-12 students, that were part of a Moon Mascot contest. During the selection process, the crew narrowed a list of 25 finalists to five top designs, including:

While work continues to prepare the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems for launch, the crew – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will review their launch day timeline and mission activities, participate in medical checkouts, and spend time with family.