Explained: What is the Artemis II mission that will take astronauts around the Moon after half a century?

Moon missions help scientists test technology, study the lunar surface, and prepare for more advanced space travel. They also help us understand how astronauts, machines, and systems behave in harsh conditions far from Earth, which is valuable for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

The upcoming Artemis II is a crucial mission by NASA, sending a four-astronaut crew nearly half a century later.

What is the Artemis II mission?

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission is set to be one of the most important spaceflights in decades.According to NASA, the mission is expected to begin its launch window in April 2026 and will take a four-astronaut crew on a lunar flyby, marking the first crewed trip around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.


The mission is not designed to land on the lunar surface. Instead, it is a proving flight meant to test the systems needed for future Moon landings and longer deep-space travel.

Space.com explains the mission as a 10-day trip beyond Earth's orbit, during which the crew will loop around the Moon and return home, giving engineers a chance to evaluate the spacecraft and crew systems in real conditions.

Meet the crew

NASA says the Artemis 2 astronauts are:

• Mission Commander Reid Wiseman, who is a NASA astronaut who previously flew to the International Space Station and served as NASA’s chief astronaut pilot.

• Victor Glover is the pilot and a NASA astronaut, Navy captain, and test pilot who flew on SpaceX Crew-1 and made history as the first Black astronaut to live long-term aboard the International Space Station

• Mission specialist Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut, holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and participated in the first all-woman spacewalk.

• Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is making his first trip to space and will join the first crewed lunar flight in NASA’s Artemis program

Apart from that in NASA’s March 17 update, the agency said the Artemis II test flight will take them “around the Moon and back to Earth with launch opportunities beginning in April 2026.”

The powerful Orion spacecraft and rocket Saturn V

The Space Launch System, or SLS, stands 322 feet tall and is NASA’s most powerful rocket since Saturn V. The Orion spacecraft will serve as the crew’s home, command center, and safe return vehicle for the trip.

The Orion is NASA’s deep-space crew vehicle built to tolerate radiation, extreme temperatures, and the vacuum of space, with a heat shield designed to protect astronauts during re-entry at very high speeds.


NASA said that the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft were being prepared for rollout to Launch Complex 39B, while the crew had begun quarantine ahead of launch preparations. Those kinds of careful checks are standard for a mission of this scale, where every detail must be checked before liftoff.