What is NASA’s ‘Artemis II’ Program
Artemis II is the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, marking humanity’s first return to the vicinity of the Moon in over 50 years. Launched on April 1, 2026, it is a 10-day test flight designed to verify the systems required for future lunar landings.
Mission Overview
The mission serves as a critical bridge between the uncrewed Artemis I (2022) and the upcoming Artemis IV mission, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.
• Objective:
To test the performance of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft with a crew on board.
• Trajectory:
The crew is flying a free-return trajectory, a figure-eight path that uses the Moon’s gravity to naturally pull the spacecraft back toward Earth.
Key Milestones
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- Lunar Flyby: On April 6, 2026, the crew will loop around the far side of the Moon, coming within approximately 7,500 km (4,600 miles) of the surface.
- Distance Record: During the flyby, they will reach a maximum distance of about 406,773 km (252,757 miles) from Earth, breaking the human distance record set by Apollo 13.
- Splashdown: The mission is scheduled to conclude on April 10, 2026, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
The Crew
The mission features the most diverse lunar crew in history, including several “firsts” for deep-space exploration:
| Astronaut | Role | Significance |
| Reid Wiseman | Commander | U.S. Navy captain and former Chief of the Astronaut Office. |
| Victor Glover | Pilot | First person of colour to travel to the Moon. |
| Christina Koch | Mission Specialist | First woman to travel to the Moon; holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. |
| Jeremy Hansen | Mission Specialist | First non-American (Canadian) to participate in a lunar mission. |
Scientific & Technical Goals
While the crew will not land on the Moon, they are conducting several experiments to prepare for longer-duration missions:
- Manual Piloting: The crew successfully tested Orion’s proximity operations by manually maneuvering near the spent rocket stage.
- Life Support: Validating the European Service Module (ESM), which provides water, air, and power.
- Health Studies: Using “organ-on-a-chip” devices (AVATAR) to study the effects of radiation and microgravity on human tissue.
- Communications: Testing high-speed optical (laser) communications to send large amounts of data back to Earth.
