There was an episode of the hit ABC series Modern Family where Phil Dunphy dubbed Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan "the coolest dad of all time." Why? Cernan is the last man to have walked on the moon. Before heading back to Earth, he wrote his daughter's initials on the lunar surface. With no atmosphere on the moon, this remarkable father-daughter bonding gesture will stay in play forever. This is why dads everywhere hate Eugene Cernan… according to Phil Dunphy.

The Apollo space program has featured many historic moments like the ones we sometimes learn about in TV comedies. In 2026, history is destined to be made again. This time it'll be under the name Artemis, who happens to be the twin sister of Apollo. The Artemis II mission is the first time NASA is sending humans on a path to the moon since superdad Cernan's crew went there in 1972.

After waiting out a few delays, the Artemis II team of Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch and Reid Wiseman of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency will begin a 10-day journey for a fly-by of the moon Wednesday, April 1, 2026. ABC News Live, ABC News' 24/7 streaming news channel, will have comprehensive reporting on the liftoff with no sign-in needed! Coverage officially begins at 5:30 pm ET/2:30 pm PT with the liftoff window set to open at 6:24 pm PT.

WATCH THE LIVESTREAM HERE WITH NO SIGN-IN NEEDED!

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In addition to what you'll see on ABC News Live, the launch and other major milestones of the Artemis II mission will also stream on Disney+ and Hulu. This includes the splashdown at the end of the historic journey. For now, let's focus on liftoff where we'll take you to Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral for every moment leading up to and including the launch. Watch ABC News Live for continuous updates and insight on Artemis II along with all the top news of the moment.