Artemis II

 Artemis II

 Artemis II

Artemis II is NASA's first crewed mission in the Artemis program — the first time humans have flown beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Mission Overview

Type: Crewed lunar flyby (no landing on the Moon).

Launch: April 1, 2026, at approximately 6:35 p.m. EDT (22:35 UTC) from Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

Spacecraft: Orion spacecraft (named Integrity by the crew).

Duration: About 10 days.

Objective: Test the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft with humans aboard, verify life support systems in deep space, demonstrate key operations, and pave the way for future lunar landings (Artemis III) and eventual Mars missions.

Trajectory: The crew will fly a free-return trajectory around the Moon (passing the far side), traveling farther from Earth than any humans have in over 50 years (up to ~4,000 miles / 6,500 km beyond the Moon at closest approach). They will perform a figure-8 pattern before returning to Earth for a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

Here’s a visual of the SLS rocket launching:

The Crew (First Crewed Artemis Mission)

The four astronauts are:

Reid Wiseman (NASA) – Commander

Victor Glover (NASA) – Pilot

Christina Koch (NASA) – Mission Specialist

Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency) – Mission Specialist

This is a diverse crew: three Americans and one Canadian, including the first woman (Koch) and first person of color (Glover) to fly on a lunar mission.

Official crew portrait in orange suits:

Crew in blue flight suits:

Another group photo inside a spacecraft mockup:

Mission Trajectory

The ~10-day journey includes Earth orbits, a trans-lunar injection, lunar flyby, and return. Here are official NASA diagrams showing the path:

Artemis II is a critical test flight. As of April 2, 2026 (today), the mission is underway following a successful launch yesterday. The crew is now in space, performing systems checks on Orion.

For live updates, check NASA’s official Artemis II page or their live streams. The mission will continue with the lunar flyby in the coming days.

Want more on a specific part (e.g., the rocket, crew backgrounds, what happens next, or live views from Orion)? Just let me know!