Artemis II Set to Make History

March 24, 2026 – Space launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral near Merritt Island are much more frequent than they were in the past, with some weeks seeing multiple rockets blasting off.

Every launch is exciting but there is one type of mission that seems to grab the public’s imagination with added interest – a launch that sends humans back to the moon.

Image Credit: NASA

Artemis II, which will launch no earlier than April 1, builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I in 2022, and will demonstrate a broad range of capabilities needed on deep space missions. The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon. The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen.

Special packages for viewing at KSC went on sale on March 23 and due to intense demand are already sold out. These lucky viewers will be the closest to the pad, but the launch will be visible from anywhere in Merritt Island.

Image Credit: NASA

A short trip north to Titusville gives plenty of other great locations to watch this historic event, and you can see the rocket on the launch pad now.

Best spots see NASA’s SLS ahead of Artemis II and to watch the launch:

Space View Park, 8 Broad St., Titusville

Rotary Riverfront Park, 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville

Kennedy Point Park, 4915 S Washington Ave, Titusville, FL 32780

Parrish Park at Titusville, 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Pkwy, Titusville, FL 32796

This will mark the first time since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission that humans have flown in the vicinity of the moon. The test flight of Artemis II will pave the way for Artemis IV, which will land humanity back on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. That is targeting 2028.

Source: FLORIDA TODAY