Artemis II Crew Prepares for Historic Lunar Flyby
NASA's Artemis II mission, set to launch on April 1, 2026, will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
NASA's Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch on April 1, 2026, at 6:24 p.m. EDT from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 10-day mission will send four astronauts—NASA's Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist)—on a journey around the Moon. This marks the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
The Artemis II crew has been engaged in extensive training, including simulator sessions, practice launch days, and splashdown exercises, to prepare for the mission. The flight aims to test critical systems aboard the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, paving the way for future lunar landings.
This mission is notable for its historic milestones: Glover will be the first Black person, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
Reflecting on the mission's significance, Glover emphasized the collective nature of the endeavor: "Whether you're sitting at home in your sweats or working in Mission Control or riding the vehicle around the moon, we're all on this journey together."
The Artemis II mission is a critical step in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars.
