NASA's Artemis II mission is set to launch no earlier than 6:24 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center, with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket potentially visible in Georgia, New Jersey, and other locations outside Florida. The mission will send three American astronauts and one Canadian on a 10-day journey around the moon, marking the second flight under NASA's Artemis program. The spacecraft will travel about 250,000 miles from Earth—further than the Apollo 13 mission—and will be the farthest humans have traveled since the Apollo era. The launch window is currently open, with no major weather or technical issues reported as of March 31, 2026. Visibility maps show the rocket could be seen in parts of Florida, Georgia, and even as far north as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, depending on atmospheric conditions. Previous launches from Cape Canaveral, including the December 2023 SpaceX Falcon Heavy mission, have been spotted in West Palm Beach and Jacksonville. The Artemis II flight will test systems critical for future lunar landings, with astronauts expected to circle the moon and return to Earth without landing. NASA officials have not yet released specific viewing locations for the April 1 launch but say the SLS rocket's brightness should make it visible to the naked eye under clear skies.