Artemis II
Artemis 2 is a NASA mission. It is the second mission in NASA's Artemis program. It was the first mission with astronauts on the Orion spacecraft. The Artemis 2 was launched on April 1, 2026.[3]
.jpg) Artemis II launching from LC-39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida | |
| Names |
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|---|---|
| Mission type | Crewed lunar flyby |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | |
| Mission duration | 9 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes and 15 seconds[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft |
|
| Manufacturer |
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| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | April 1, 2026, 22:35:12 UTC (6:35:12 p.m. EDT)[2][3] |
| Rocket | Space Launch System |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39B[4] |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | April 11, 2026, 00:07:27 UTC (April 10, 5:07:27 p.m. PDT)[5] |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean |
| Flyby of Moon | |
| Distance | 4,700 mi (7,600 km; 4,100 nmi) (planned)[6] |
 Mission insignia | |
Plan
The Orion spacecraft will do a flyby of the Moon, and then come back to Earth.[6] Artemis 2 will be the first NASA mission to go to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Artemis II Media
SLS core stage for Artemis II lifted into High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building shortly after stacking operations began in December 2024
Artemis I heat shield showing damage after recovery
Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module for the Artemis II mission being prepared in March 2025
The Artemis II stack being rolled out of the VAB before its February launch attempt, January 2026
The mission's upper stage, as seen on March 20
The backup (standing left) and prime crew of Artemis II after a news conference in December 2024. From left to right: Jenni Gibbons, Andre Douglas, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman
The crew of Artemis II walk out of the Operations and Checkout Building, just before boarding the spacecraft on April 1, 2026.
The crew of Artemis II training inside an Orion mock-up in January 2025
Diagram showing the planned objectives of the Artemis II mission
Key events from launch and ascent to space
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References
- ↑ Artemis II: NASA’s First Crewed Lunar Flyby in 50 Years (in en-US). NASA. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- ↑ Clark, Stephen (February 21, 2026). "NASA says it needs to haul the Artemis II rocket back to the hangar for repairs" (in en). Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/02/nasa-says-it-needs-to-haul-the-artemis-ii-rocket-back-to-the-hangar-for-repairs/. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Low, Lauren E.. Liftoff! NASA Launches Astronauts on Historic Artemis Moon Mission. NASA (April 1, 2026). Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ↑ Hill, Bill. Exploration Systems Development Status (March 2012)NASA Advisory Council. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ↑ NASA Welcomes Record-Setting Artemis II Moonfarers Back to Earth (in en-US). NASA (April 10, 2026). Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hambleton, Kathryn. First Flight With Crew Important Step on Long-Term Return to Moon (August 27, 2018)NASA. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ↑ NASA's Artemis 2 mission around Moon set for November 2024. Phys.org (March 7, 2023). Retrieved March 8, 2023.