NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, lifted off successfully on April 1, 2026, at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center, propelling four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on a 10-day lunar flyby. This milestone follows accelerated ground preparations, including a March 17 reassessment that expedited rocket rollout and crew quarantine starting March 18, with no recent delays reported. Trader sentiment reflects strong consensus on mission viability post-launch, validated by the completed perigee raise maneuver. Key upcoming catalysts include closest lunar approach on flight day 6 and Pacific Ocean splashdown around April 11, testing deep-space life support and reentry systems amid competition from SpaceX's Starship for future Artemis landings.