Wednesday April 1, 2026 | FLORIDA, USA [Posted 1:25 pm PT | Updated 1:52 pm & 2:17 pm & 2:33 pm & 3:18 pm & 3:27 pm & 4:24 pm PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC]
Live NASA feed can be followed 24/7 for the entire Artemis II mission on the NASA YouTube channel.
Today the Artemis II rocket is launching to travel to the dark side of the moon and back.
The launch time is set for 6:24 pm ET (3:24 pm PT). Up to “90% go” as of about 5:33 pm ET but some troubleshooting of a battery that may be overheating was underway.
- “No open constraints” – clear to go, stated at 6:18 pm ET.
- That opens a two-hour window that will begin at 6:24 pm ET.
- The countdown began officially at 6:35 pm ET.
- Successful launch at 6:35:12 ET.
Artemis II is the second flight, and first crewed mission, of the core component of NASA’s Moon to Mars initiative, which aims to build a permanent, habitable lunar base as a prelude to eventual human flights to the red planet.
Hansen makes Canada proud:
Canada can be proud of our nation’s astronaut Jeremy Roger Hansen, age 50, from small town Ontario. He has been a fighter pilot and aquanaut, and is educated as a physicist. He is married with three children.
On April 3, 2023 Colonel Hansen was announced as being part of the upcoming Artemis II mission, to be the first Canadian to travel to the Moon. And now that day is today.
There are four astronauts in the space craft today. The crew is Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist).
Hansen is the first Canadian astronaut to be part of a mission beyond the international space station. The other three are American.
King Charles III marked the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission to the moon with a letter to mission specialist Canadian Space Agency astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen, commending his leadership and vision.
“As global space activity, exploration, and the space economy rapidly expand, His Majesty recognises the importance of stewardship and responsible governance to protect the infinite wonders of the universe,” The Royal Family posted in social media earlier today. [See the King’s full letter]
Chit chat with Carney:
Hansen had a quick video chat with Prime Minister Mark Carney the day before the launch.
“We’re going to see improvements in health care, and food and transportation and robotics and all of this is going to make our lives better on the planet because we brought so many people around the world together with a singular vision – of not just dreaming about but going and getting it done,” said Hansen to the the prime minister.
“I know you’re on a mission. Listen, Godspeed, and we’ll see you on the other side,” said Carney in the video that was posted in social media.
Conditions for launch:
The launch is weather dependent but was given the ‘clear to launch’ with 1 hour 12 minutes to go (approx 5:12 pm ET).
The launch of the Orion space craft will happen from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission is being controlled by NASA Mission Control in Houston, Texas.
Mission purpose:
This moon mission does not involve landing on the moon, but future missions will.
This trip is about learning more about the moon’s conditions for setting up the moon as a launch base for eventually going further into space.
After launch:
Once in space, the astronauts will be in tight quarters.
They will eat dehydrated/rehydrated food at room temperature, use specially-designed toilets, exercise every day, and sleep for eight hours per 24-hour period.
The Easter Long weekend is coming up, a time for people here on Earth to learn more about the 10-day moon mission and welcome the astronauts home in a few days.
Updates:
More articles will be posted in Island Social Trends in the Science News Section.
Live NASA feed can be followed 24/7 on the NASA YouTube channel.
Full moon at home:
Tonight there is a full moon here on earth, at 7:12 pm PT.
===== RELATED:
- Artemis II: troubleshooting some technical things (April 1, 2026)
- NEWS SECTIONS: AEROSPACE | OFF-PLANET | TECHNOLOGY | NASA