Washington: NASA has confirmed that its long-awaited Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight under the Artemis program, will launch in early 2026, marking humanity’s return to deep space exploration for the first time in over five decades.
The mission, designed as a 10-day journey around the Moon, could lift off as early as February 5, with April 26 set as the last available launch date within its multiple five-day launch windows.
The Artemis II crew features four astronauts: Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist). Together, they will embark on a journey beyond low Earth orbit, making Artemis II the first crewed mission to venture this far since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator, described the mission as a pivotal milestone. “We together have a front row seat to history. The launch window could open as early as the fifth of February, but safety remains our top priority,” she said at a press briefing.
Artemis II will not attempt a lunar landing or enter lunar orbit. Instead, it will follow a free-return trajectory that allows the Orion spacecraft to loop around the Moon before being pulled back to Earth by gravity.
Integrity.
That’s what the Artemis II astronauts have decided to name their Orion spacecraft, which will take them from @NASAKennedy on their journey around the Moon and return them safely back to Earth. pic.twitter.com/EDwyOYkOeK
— NASA (@NASA) September 24, 2025
According to flight director Jeff Radigan, the astronauts will travel more than 5,000 nautical miles (over 9,200 km) beyond the Moon, farther into space than any human crew has gone before.
After the lunar flyby, the crew will begin a four-day return trip. Near Earth, Orion’s service module will detach, allowing the crew capsule to re-enter the atmosphere before parachuting to a splashdown off the coast of California.
The mission builds on the success of Artemis I, an uncrewed flight in November 2022 that tested the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft over a 25-day lunar orbit. Artemis II will validate these systems with humans aboard, ensuring readiness for future missions.
NASA scientists also plan to study the biological effects of space on astronauts. Blood samples collected before and after the mission will be used to grow tissue organoids, helping researchers evaluate how deep space travel impacts the human body.
As the first crewed Artemis mission, Artemis II is a stepping stone toward establishing a long-term presence on the Moon. Artemis III, the follow-up mission, will aim to land astronauts near the lunar South Pole, where water ice deposits may support future exploration and habitation.
