NASA could be sending a crew on the Orion spacecraft out past the moon in less than a month if everything falls into place. But first the agency has to get its rocket to the launch pad.

NASA’s Artemis II mission is rolling toward the launch pad, marking a major step toward humanity’s next journey around the Moon.

The 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence will also feature the historic Artemis 2 astronaut mission around the moon.

NASA announced that the earliest launch window for Artemis II is Feb. 6, 2026, with 12 more possible dates available from February-April. The Artemis mission, a followup to the Apollo program, hopes to have astronauts back on the moon’s surface by 2027.

"It’s amazing to think that this thing I have been working on in various capacities for the last eight years is about to send four astronauts around the moon for the first time in a half-century.”