Artemis II

NASA’s Artemis II was the first crewed moon mission of the Artemis program, completing a historic 10-day flight around the Moon. It marked the second flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the first human flight to the vicinity of the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

It was launched April 1, 2026, from Florida, USA and is the first manned mission to the  in 54 years.

The Orion Spacecraft consisted of the Orion Capsule and the European Service Module.

Mission Summary: Artemis II

• Mission Status: Completed successfully.
• Launch Date: April 1, 2026, at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center.
• Splashdown Date: April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
• Mission Duration: 9 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes.
• Launch Vehicle: Space Launch System (SLS).
• Spacecraft: Orion (named Integrity).

The Crew

Orion spacecraft was crewed by four astronauts:

Reid Wiseman – Commander (NASA)
Victor Glover – Pilot (NASA)
Christina Hammock Koch – Mission Specialist (NASA)
Jeremy Hansen – Mission Specialist (Canadian Space Agency / CSA

Mission Highlights

First Crewed Artemis Flight: Marked the first time humans traveled to the lunar vicinity since the Apollo program.

Lunar Flyby: Sent the four-person crew approximately 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the Moon before looping back to Earth.

Life Support Testing: Validated Orion’s life support and critical systems with a live crew in deep space.

Data Release: NASA released over 800 gigabytes of scientific data and photography captured during the lunar flyby to the public and global science community.

History

The launch by Space Launch System (SLS) had been planned for as early as 6 February 2026, and then 6 March 6, until a hydrogen leak prompted NASA to ‌roll the ⁠rocket back to its vehicle assembly building for scrutiny.

NASA launched Artemis 2 on 1st April 2026 aboard a Orion spacecraft atop a Space Launch System (SLS). It was the first crewed flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon.

Artemis II was NASA’s first astronaut mission to the moon since 1972.

Did you know?

* What is the correct name Artemis II or Artemis 2?

Official and most commonly used name is Artemis II is using Roman numerals.

* Next mission is Artemis III and is scheduled in mid-2027.

It will launch the crew in the Orion spacecraft on top of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.

Artemis II Links and References:

• Artemis II: NASA’s First Crewed Lunar Flyby in 50 Years
• ESA – Artemis II: