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Astronauts in quarantine ahead of Artemis II launch

The Artemis II crew pose in front of an Orion simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston. (L-R) Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover. They are all wearing a grey polo shirt with the Artemis II mission logo on the breast NASA

The Artemis II crew poses in front of an Orion simulator Jan. 23, 2026 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The astronauts being sent around the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission have entered quarantine ahead of the launch.

It means they have to limit their exposure to others to make sure they don't pick up an illnesses that could delay the mission.

It's called the Health Stabilization Program and usually starts around 14 days before launch.

Nasa will continue testing the rocket and spacecraft before an official launch date is set but lift-off could be in February 2026 if everything goes well.

More on the Artemis II mission

Artists impression of Artemis II from the European Service Module's perspectiveNASA/ESA

Artemis could launch as soon as 6 February 2026

The astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have started their quarantine in Houston.

During the quarantine period they can still see their friends, family and colleagues who are observing quarantine guidelines, but they have to keep their distance, avoid public places and wear masks.

Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen wear orange space suits and pose as a groupNASA

Training will continue during this period as well as mission simulations and medical checks being carried out.

They will fly to Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida about six days before the launch.

A space rocket, which looks like a giant orange column with white rockets either side, in a tall storage facilityNASA/Joel Kowsky

The SLS is in place ready for further testing ahead of the launch

Meanwhile the team in Florida are preparing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.

Earlier in January, the rocket was moved to the launchpad for more tests and training.

Depending on the outcome of the 'wet dress rehearsal' where the team get some practice in - loading and removing the rocket fuel and doing a test launch countdown - the team may come out of quarantine and re-enter it at a later date if changes need to be made.

Depending on when the rocket is ready to go, there's a list of different dates in which the rocket could launch, with the earliest date being 6 February 2026..