Artemis II: NASA's First Crewed Lunar Flyby in 50 Years
Meet the Artemis II crew and learn how NASA’s 10-day lunar flyby mission will test deep space systems and pave the way for future Moon landings.
www.nasa.govHere’s the latest on NASA’s Artemis II mission and its astronaut crew.
Key developments
- Artemis II successfully launched and completed Earth-orbit checks before heading toward the Moon. The crew includes four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This mission is a test flight for deep-space systems and is the first crewed lunar mission in more than five decades [NASA and major outlets covered the launch and crew details in late March/early April 2026].
- The plan is a roughly 9–10 day loop: a high-speed, out-and-back flight around the Moon without landing, aimed at validating Orion’s life-support, propulsion, and navigation in deep space ahead of future lunar landings [NASA overview and press updates].
- The mission profile includes an Earth-orbit checkout phase, a main-engine burn to depart Earth, a lunar flyby with a distant return trajectory, and a splashdown off the coast of California. Public briefings and NASA updates have emphasized testing deep-space systems and practicing mission operations for subsequent Artemis missions [NASA mission pages and live briefings].
What to expect next
- NASA will continue to release updates on Orion’s systems status, crew health, and trajectory milestones as Artemis II completes its lunar flyby and returns to Earth. Expect updates on:
- Orion’s distance from Earth and its farthest point from home
- Docking/docking-practice activities and on-board science
- Entry, descent, and landing readiness for a Pacific or California coast splashdown
Images and videos
- NASA and major broadcasters have released imagery from the mission, including Orion in deep-space viewing of the Moon and spacecraft activity inside the capsule. These visuals accompany official mission rollups and press conferences.
To stay updated
- Check NASA’s Artemis II mission page and NASA Twitter/Newsroom for the latest official updates and timelines. Some independent outlets are aggregating live briefings and post-launch analyses as the mission progresses. If you’d like, I can summarize the latest NASA briefing and provide a concise timeline of the remaining milestones with citations.