How to watch NASA's Artemis II moon launch live on April 1

NASA's Artemis II mission, which marks the first human spaceflight to the moon since 1972, will begin its launch operations on April 1. The mission will lift off aboard NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Artemis II, carrying four astronauts, is scheduled to launch at 6:24pm EDT on April 1.

NASA's Artemis II mission has established backup launch windows which extend from daily through April 6 and include extra launch opportunities on April 30.

How to watch NASA's Artemis II?

NASA’s Artemis II mission will livestream its fuelling process at 7:45 am EDT/11:45 am GMT. The entire countdown process will begin at 12:50pm EDT/17:50 GMT.

After the launch, there are press conferences held 2.5 hours after liftoff. NASA’s Artemis II Mission livestream is available on NASA+, NASA’s website, YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.

NASA's Artemis II mission overview

The Orion spacecraft will use a free-return trajectory to circle the moon during NASA's Artemis II mission.

The crew will evaluate all life-support systems together with navigation systems and communication systems and deep-space systems, which are essential for upcoming lunar missions.

NASA's Artemis II mission team consists of Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

Koch will be the first woman to travel near the moon, Glover the first person of colour, and Hansen the first non-American on a lunar mission.

The mission will end with a Pacific Ocean splashdown. NASA's Artemis II serves as a fundamental test for the Artemis programme, which intends to achieve its first crewed lunar landing through Artemis 4 in 2028.