NASA is preparing to send humans back to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. Artemis II is the pivotal crewed flight test that will pave the way for future lunar landings, serving as the ultimate "road test" for the systems designed to carry us to Mars and beyond.
The Artemis II crew is a historic group of four explorers who will travel further into space than any human in history.
Reid Wiseman (Commander): A U.S. Navy Captain and veteran of the International Space Station (ISS), Wiseman will lead the mission, overseeing the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft.
Victor Glover (Pilot): Glover previously piloted the SpaceX Crew-1 mission. On Artemis II, he will make history as the first person of color to venture beyond low Earth orbit.
Christina Koch (Mission Specialist): Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days). She will become the first woman to travel to the Moon.
Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist): Representing the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Hansen is a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel. He will be the first non-American to leave Earth's orbit.
To break free of Earth's gravity, the crew will ride atop the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever built.
Thrust: The SLS Block 1 configuration generates a staggering 8.8 million pounds of maximum thrust at liftoff—roughly 15% more than the legendary Saturn V.
Components: The rocket features a 212-foot tall core stage powered by four RS-25 engines, flanked by two massive five-segment solid rocket boosters.
Mission Profile: The SLS will propel the Orion capsule into a "high Earth orbit" first to test life-support systems before a final burn sends the crew on a free-return trajectory around the Moon.
As of March 2026, NASA is navigating the final technical hurdles before liftoff. After a minor helium flow issue was discovered during pre-launch testing in late February, the rocket was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for repairs.
Current Target: No earlier than April 1, 2026.
Primary Windows: Engineers are eyeing opportunities between April 1 and April 6, with additional backup dates available in late April should technical or weather constraints arise.
The mission is expected to last approximately 10 days, culminating in a high-speed reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Official Announcement of the Artemis II Crew to Worldwide Media
On 3 April 2026 NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will announce LIVE from NASA Johnson Space Center’s Ellington Field in Houston, the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon. Traveling aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft during Artemis II, the mission is the first crewed flight test on the agency’s path to establishing a long-term scientific and human presence on the lunar surface.
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