It’s time to go back to the Moon! If all goes to plan (at the time of this writing), NASA will launch the Artemis II Mission on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, with the earliest launch time at 6:24PM EDT. (Note there is a 2 hour potential launch window). The launch date itself also depends on weather and other safety factors, so please check https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/ for updates.
This mission will send four astronauts back into deep space on a 10 day mission to fly around the Moon and return to Earth. This will be the first human mission in 54 years to leave low Earth orbit. Let’s join together to view this historic event! We will live stream it on the John R. Kirk Planetarium dome. The Planetarium will open to the public 30 minutes prior to launch regardless of the launch date. Potential launch dates and times are here: Mission Availability
Tickets are not required, and the Planetarium doors will remain open from 30 minutes prior to launch through the rocket ascent phase (about 50 minutes after liftoff).
If the Planetarium reaches capacity, the CSB Auditorium across the hall will be used for overflow seating and viewing.
If you have accessibility questions or require accommodations to fully participate in this event, please contact Raj Pandya at pandyar@newpaltz.edu as soon as possible.
Hope to see you there,
-Raj
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Raj Pandya
Director, John R. Kirk Planetarium
Instructor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
SUNY New Paltz | 1 Hawk Drive| Science Hall 276
New Paltz, NY 12561
pandyar@newpaltz.edu | (845) 257-3818
