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NASA’s planned launch of a moon rocket with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard is set for early April.
“We are on track for a launch as early as April 1 and we are working toward that date,” Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, told a news conference Thursday.
The Artemis II mission has been delayed twice since February because of hydrogen fuel leaks and helium flow problems with the Space Launch System.
But officials with the American space agency said those issues have been fixed and plans are to roll out the rocket from NASA’s vehicle-assembly building to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 19.
Glaze said there would be four opportunities to launch the rocket in the first six days of April.
“And as always, we’ll always be guided by what the hardware is telling us and we will launch when we’re ready,” Glaze said.
Artemis II will be the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972 — the year of the final Apollo mission.
The planned 10-day mission would see the astronauts travel past the moon, around its far side and then straight back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
Hansen, 50, of London, Ont., will serve as mission specialist during Artemis II, becoming the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit, a historic achievement for Canada.
His crewmates are veteran NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch.
Fellow Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons, 37, of Calgary is also serving as Hansen’s backup and will be supporting the crew from ground control.
Norm Knight, director of flight operations, said for an April 1st launch, pre-launch quarantine for the crew would begin around March 18 before travelling to the Kennedy Space Center on March 27.
There will be no wet dress rehearsal as a successful one was conducted in February and they want to maximize April launch opportunities rather than doing another test.
Officials said they want to preserve tanks and avoid unnecessary wear on hardware.
For now, NASA isn’t looking at any other possible launch dates beyond its window in early April.
“I’ve said in the past that … there are opportunities in other months, but right now are solely focused on April,” Glaze said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026.
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
