Resolution Criteria
The earliest launch window for Artemis II opens on February 5–11, 2026 with the mission planned to launch no earlier than February 6, 2026. This market resolves to the calendar date on which Artemis II actually launches. Resolution will be determined by official NASA announcements and confirmed by NASA's official mission status page at https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/. A dress rehearsal of the countdown is planned for early February, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has stated that an actual launch date will only be confirmed after that is complete.
Background
The 10-day mission will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a free-return trajectory around the Moon and back to Earth. On January 18, 2026, the SLS rocket, Orion capsule, and launch tower were rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B. A wet dress rehearsal is targeted for no later than Feb. 2, during which the team will load the rocket with cryogenic propellants, run through the countdown, and practice safely draining the propellants from the rocket.
Considerations
Because Artemis II is the first crewed flight test of the Artemis campaign, running into a few issues that could cause delays is probable. The uncrewed Artemis I mission, for example, was delayed three times – twice for technical issues and another time due to bad weather – before launching in November 2022.
1,000