NASA Schedules First Crewed Lunar Mission in Over 50 Years for April 2026
NASA's Artemis II mission, set for April 2026, will send four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby, marking the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
NASA has announced that Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon in over five decades, is scheduled for launch in April 2026. This 10-day mission will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby to test the Orion spacecraft's systems and pave the way for future lunar landings.
The Artemis II crew comprises Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This mission will mark the first time a Canadian astronaut travels to the Moon.
Artemis II will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The mission includes two Earth orbits to verify Orion's systems before setting a course for the Moon. The spacecraft will travel approximately 10,400 kilometers beyond the Moon before returning to Earth, culminating in a Pacific Ocean splashdown.
This mission builds upon the success of Artemis I, an uncrewed test flight that launched in November 2022. Artemis II aims to validate critical systems and operations, setting the stage for Artemis III, which plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2027.
The Artemis program represents NASA's commitment to establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon, serving as a foundation for future missions to Mars and beyond.
