Artemis II does not have a launch date on February 6, 2026
In fact, Artemis II does not have a specific launch date at all—not yet—and it will be next month before one can be named. NASA has dates circled for when it could launch the big orange moon rocket, abd February 6th is the first one, but the agency has yet to set a specific L-0 day and time.
So WHEN Will Artemis II Launch?
NASA itself says. “While the Artemis II launch window opens as early as Friday, Feb. 6,” the agency said on January 21, ” the mission management team will assess flight readiness after the wet dress rehearsal across the spacecraft, launch infrastructure, and the crew and operations teams before selecting a launch date.”
As NASA states, they cannot name a launch date until a successful Wet Dress Rehearsal is completed. When is the Wet Dress Rehearsal? It starts no earlier than February 2nd. And after the WDR, there is another critical milestone to pass: a Flight Readiness Review where NASA and its contractors will assess the mission readiness of the rocket, the crew, and the facility. That’s not a minor tick-the-boxes meeting; it’s in-depth and quite thorough.
Artemis II Pre-Launch Milestones
Launch window opens Feb. 6, 2026
| Milestone | Target Date | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch Pad Integration | Late Jan. 2026 | In Progress | Connect GSE, electrical lines, fuel ducts, and cryo feeds; power up integrated systems |
| Crew Final Walkdown | Late Jan. 2026 | Upcoming | Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen conduct final pad inspection |
| Wet Dress Rehearsal | NET Feb. 2, 2026 | Upcoming | Load 700,000+ gallons of cryogenic propellants; full countdown practice; detanking ops |
| Flight Readiness Review | Early Feb. 2026 | Upcoming | Mission management assesses all systems and commits to official launch date |
| Launch | NET Feb. 6, 2026 | Launch Window | 16 launch opportunities through April 30, 2026; first window 9:41 PM EST (02:41 UTC) |
The Wet Dress Rehearsal is critical because it is a full-scale practice run of the launch of Artemis II, including loading thousands of gallons of liquid propellants (liquid hydrogen and oxygen) into the rocket’s tanks, running through the entire countdown procedure to test all of the systems aboard the 322-foot-tall vehicle, test some scrub scenarios, and then safely draining the fuel, all without actually launching.
The WDR was a problem for Artemis I, mainly because it was the first time new infrastructure at Pad LC-39B had been used, and that on a brand new rocket. Small leaks and other issues created delays and repairs, and as a result, the launch was pushed right on the calendar several times. Eventually, in November 2022, all of the hard work came together and Artemis I lifted off into a brisk Space Coast sky to the delight of all who saw it.
Hopefully these problems won’t repeat themselves with Artemis II. NASA and its contractors learned a lot of lessons with Artemis I and have undoubtedly made changes and improvements to the pad infrastructure and the rocket itself since 2022, when Artemis I flew.
Still, some problems may arise. Some of those problems may necessitate a return to the VAB for repairs. NASA is trying to make that clear. That’s no certainty, and everyone is hoping for a smooth Wet Dress Rehearsal, but keep in mind that it’s not something to take for granted.
Scheduling Sites
Don’t let the independent scheduling apps and websites fool you. Even the launch schedule page that I run myself can be at bit misleading:
While I made it clear that Artemis II is “Awaiting Confirmation,” many people will see the “Window Opens: Friday 02/06/2026 09:41:00 PM” and think the date and time is set in stone. It is not. Not yet.
My personal site is not alone. Perhaps the biggest of scheduling sites, Spacelaunchschedule.com, says the same thing:
And so does nextspaceflight.com, the site run by NASA Spaceflight:
All of those sites (mine included) rely on external data feeds for up-to-date launch times. Those feeds often prognosticate based on the best information they have: FAA and USCG filings, NASA or Space Force statements, launch vendor information, and so forth. They try to make it clear when a flight is unconfirmed, meaning “not official,” but sometimes people miss that.
Data providers usually get things right, but keep in mind that they are unofficial sources and may be wrong. Things change fast when it comes to launch plans, and sometimes unofficial sites take a while to catch up to changes. Still, at the end of the day, Spacelaunchschedule.com and Nextspaceflight.com are truly handy tools that give great information. I use both extensively, especially out in the field.
Stay Tuned To NASA
When an official launch date and target time is announced, it will be no mystery. NASA will make it available to the public, and that in turn will set things in motion for America to send four astronauts around the moon.
They have already named the potential windows between now and April, and people can use that for their planning, such as it is.
If you want to book flights and hotels, make sure you can change those reservations for a later time. If you do come to Florida to watch the launch, plan to stay through all of the days in the windows charted above, because scrubs are part and parcel of rocket launches. For example, if indeed NASA chooses February 6, plan to stay through February 11th. If the launch is planned for March 6th, plan to stay through the 11th.
Always remember that millions of things must be right and ready to send any rocket on its way, and only one thing has to be wrong to cause a scrub. And then there is the weather. It’s Florida and the weather changes about as fast as you can change the channels on your TV remote.
So all in all, be patient. Artemis II will launch when it is ready to fly. Not before. What day that is, we can’t say for sure yet. Keep you plans flexible and stay tuned.