Artemis II Begins Humanity’s Return to the Moon

A Historic Moment in Human Spaceflight

In a milestone moment for space exploration, NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than February 5, 2026, sending humans beyond Earth orbit for the first time since Apollo 17. After a 54-year gap, humanity is returning to deep space; paving the way for sustained lunar exploration.

Meet the Artemis II Crew

The four-person international crew represents a new era of spaceflight:

Reid Wiseman (NASA) – Commander and veteran astronaut, former Chief of NASA's Astronaut Office

Christina Hammock Koch (NASA) – Mission Specialist, will be the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit to lunar distance

Victor Glover (NASA) – Pilot, SpaceX Crew-1 mission veteran

Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency) – Mission Specialist, first Canadian to fly to lunar distance

This historic crew brings diverse expertise and represents unprecedented achievements in human space exploration.

Artemis II is a high-stakes engineering and human-systems test designed to validate crew systems and vehicle performance for future deep-space exploration missions.

Mission objectives include:

- Life-support system validation in deep space environment

- Navigation and communication testing with spacecraft at lunar distance

- High-speed re-entry heat-shield performance validation (re-entry velocity: ~40,000 km/h / ~25,000 mph)

- Crew operations and procedures testing under lunar-distance deep space conditions

- Orion spacecraft systems validation for long-duration missions

The crew will perform a lunar flyby trajectory, approaching the Moon via a gravity-assist maneuver before returning to Earth using a free-return trajectory. The spacecraft will not enter lunar orbit.

The mission relies on some of the most powerful spaceflight systems ever built:

Orion Spacecraft – Deep-space human capsule designed for beyond-Earth-orbit missions, featuring:

• Advanced thermal protection system for ~40,000 km/h / ~25,000 mph re-entry

• Life support for 10+ day missions

• Radiation shielding for deep space

• Advanced avionics and abort systems

Space Launch System (SLS) – Most powerful rocket ever flown, delivering over 8.8 million pounds of thrust at launch

This will be the first crewed flight of SLS, making it one of the most closely watched launches in history.

Why Artemis II Matters Globally

This mission reshapes the global space narrative:

• Historic First: Humans beyond Earth orbit after 54 years
• Geopolitical Impact: Reinforces leadership amid rising global competition
• Scientific Foundation: Enables sustained lunar presence
• Public Inspiration: A once-in-a-generation space moment

Only 24 humans in history have traveled this far from Earth; Artemis II adds four more.

Following Artemis II, the roadmap accelerates:

Artemis III (Scheduled 2027): First human lunar landing mission since Apollo 17. This mission will achieve lunar orbit insertion, deploy SpaceX Starship Human Landing System, and land astronauts on the Moon's South Pole region for the first time in 55 years.

Beyond Artemis III:

- Artemis Gateway lunar station development and expansion

- Sustained lunar surface infrastructure

- Preparation for human Mars missions

- Long-duration lunar operations and research

Artemis II is not a destination: it is the critical test mission that enables humanity's sustained return to the Moon.