Artemis-2 Lunar Mission
The Artemis-2 mission will be carrying astronauts around the Moon and returning them safely to Earth. They will follow a similar flight plan for the crewed mission to the surface. It is a dress rehearsal for the human lunar landing mission that is the Artemis-3 mission. [As of February 26, 2026, Artemis-3 is now a low earth orbit mission. More details soon. - Astra]
NASA launched the Artemis-2 lunar fly-by mission from Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B at 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 GMT) on April 1, 2026.
The mission is currently underway is being covered on this page. For the mission timeline and status go to the Mission Updates on this page.
Artemis-2 is the first scheduled crewed mission of Artemis, although the astronauts will not step out on the Moon. It is the dry run for the actual mission. Following the steps taken by the last demonstration mission, the Artemis-2 mission would stay in Earth orbit for 42 hours to test the capabilities of the spacecraft’s Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) before committing astronauts to the lunar landing mission. The crew will go into lunar orbit, traveling 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. They will be able to see the Earth and the Moon from the spacecraft. Orion will perform a Return Trajectory Adjustment (RTA) burn that will send the spacecraft back to Earth. When the Orion spacecraft reaches Earth it will separate from the Service Module and the astronauts will plummet through the atmosphere protected by the spacecraft's heat shield that will withstand temperatures up to 5,000 degrees F during re-entry. The parachutes will be deployed and Orion will splash down in the Pacific Ocean. This mission should last just over 10 days.
Artemis-2 Mission Updates
Mission Elapsed Time will be noted as MET. This is the amount of time that has passed since launch.Most recent events are listed first.
April 6, 2026 | The Artemis II Orion made its lunar flyby. On the way, they crashed through the Apollo 13 distance from Earth record traveling 252,756 miles or 406,771 km away from Earth. The crew observed the farside surface of the moon. There was a 40-minute blackout period while the spacecraft could not communicate with Earth. During the blackout, Integrity made its closest approach to the moon, 4,067 miles or 6,545 km above the lunar surface at 7:00 p.m. EDT (2300 UTC). After the blackout, the spacecraft flew behind the Moon, hiding from the Sun for a unique solar eclipse, lasting about 53 minutes. The crew was able to view the solar corona directly and saw Mars and Saturn during the eclipse. Venus was also seen by the crew before the eclipse.
NASA Artemis-2 crew image of the surface of the Moon. The right side of the image shows part of the near side of the Moon. In the middle of the image is the dark crater Gassendi that is seen near the limb of the Moon from Earth. To the lower left is the giant basin Mare Orientale, a major target of the Artemis-2 mission. Image Credit: NASA
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April 5, 2026 | The Artemis II crew and spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence, where the moon’s gravity became stronger Earth’s gravity.
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April 2, 2026 | The Orion spacecraft performed a perigee raise burn, raising the height of the spacecraft closest approach to Earth. Next, the Trans Lunar Injection Burn (TLI) was successfully completed. The burn lasted about five minutes and 50 seconds, sending the spacecraft on a new trajectory toward the Moon.
NASA Artemis-2 crew took a snapshot of Earth after the TLI burn. The surface of Earth is illuminated by the Moon alone. The Sun is hidden behind the Earth. Image Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman
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MET 49:00 | The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) engine ignited to put the Orion spacecraft into an elliptical orbit around the Earth. A second burn put the spacecraft into a high Earth orbit, allowing the ICPS to separate from the Orion.
Victor Glover piloted the Orion proximity operations of the Orion spacecraft’s handling abilities. In addition, all members of the Artemis-2 mission were given the chance to fly the spacecraft manually. The demonstration lasted 70 minutes. Orion maneuvered 180 degrees to the ICPS as a docking target. Afterward the ICPS deployed its CubeSat payloads and performed its own disposal burn, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
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MET 08:02 | Main Engine Cut-off occurred. This left the Orion in a highly elliptical orbit about 1,400 miles above the Earth. At 8:14, the core stage separated from the ICPS. Shortly afterward, the spacecraft’s four solar wings unfolded and were deployed.
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MET 3:18 | The Launch Abort System was ejected from the Artemis-2 spacecraft.
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April 1, 2026 | Launch of Artemis-2 from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT (2235 UTC).
The Crew
Announced on April 3, 2023, NASA named the astronauts that are launching aboard Artemis-2. NASA astronauts include commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
Reid Wiseman served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during Expedition 41 in 2014, successfully completing two spacewalks. Artemis-2 will be Victor Glover's second spaceflight, he previously served as pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. He performed as a flight engineer aboard the ISS during Expedition 64, making four spacewalks. Christina Koch is also making her second flight into space. She served as flight engineer aboard the ISS during Expedition 59, 60, and 61, setting a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman - - 328 days in space! Christina also participated in the first all-female spacewalks. Representing Canada, Jeremy Hansen is making his first spaceflight. He was as an astronaut recruit by CSA in May 2009. He has served as Capcom in NASA's Mission Control Center at Johnson and was the first Canadian selected to lead a NASA training astronaut class.
The primary crew for Artemis-II (as pictured above) includes Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist for the Canadian Space Agency, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, as pilot, Reid Wiseman, mission commander, and Christina Koch, mission specialist.
This image shows NASA's plan for Artemis II, provided by NASA, a high resolution image can be found at their website.
Artemis-II Cube Sats
During Artemis-II mission, four small satellites, known as CubeSats, were launched to high Earth orbit from the Orion stage adapter. CubeSats are small payloads about the size of a shoebox that are used to study the space environment. The CubeSats were deployed after the adapter separated from the spacecraft.
ATENEA - from the Argentina National Space Activities Commission, was meant to investigate radiation shielding, orbital design optimization, and long-range communications.
Space Weather CubeSat-1 - from the Saudi Space Agency, to study space weather, such as radiation, solar X-rays, solar energy particles, and magnetic fields.
TACHELES - from the German Aerospace Center, will demonstrate key in-space technologies, including electrical components for future lunar logistics vehicles and operations.
K-Rad Cube - from the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) to measure space radiation and biological effects across the Van Allen radiation belts.
Highlights of Artemis-II Preparations
March 19, 2026 | The Space Launch System (SLS) for the the Artemis 2 mission rolled to the pad and is now in place for the second Artemis mission. The trip to the launch pad began at 12:20 a.m. EDT. The rocket rode upright on the NASA's Mobile Launch Platform (MLP), from the Vehicle Assembly Building and arrivied at the launch pad, LC-39B, after an 11-hour journey.
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March 18, 2026 | The Artemis II crew went into quarantine at 5 p.m. CDT in Houston. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will have limited exposure to other people for fourteen days before the first possible launch date. They fly to Kennedy Space Center five days before launch, then continue quarantine from the astronaut crew quarters onsite until the launch.
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February 25, 2026 | The Space Launch System was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs.
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February 19, 2026 | The second Wet Dress Rehearsal for the Artemis II mission was completed. Unfortunately, it was determined that the SLS full stack had to be returned to the VAB for repairs to the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS).
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February 2, 2026 | The Wet Dress Rehearsal for the Artemis II mission was completed. The Space Launch System (SLS) was fueled, but hydrogen leaks has caused the agency to move the launch date into March after a second wet dress rehearsal.
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January 17, 2026 | The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will launch the Artemis 2 astronauts around the moon rolled to the pad and is now in place for the second Artemis mission. The journey to the launch pad began at 7:04 a.m. EST. The rocket rode upright on the NASA's Mobile Launch Platform (MLP), from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building arriving at the launch pad, LC-39B, at 6:42 p.m. EST. The journey took 11 hours, 38 minutes!
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December 20, 2025 | The Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test NASA’s Artemis II crew, launch and mission teams, completed the Launch Day Dress Rehearsal.
Artemis II Crew Rehearse Launch Day Demonstration - NASA press release: December 20, 2025
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August 19, 2025 | The Artemis II Orion Stage Adapter arrived at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida for to complete the final stacking.
The stage adapter was built and tested Marshall Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama several days at Launch Complex 39B. The Orion stage adapter connects to the SLS rocket’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft.
Artemis II Flight Crew, Teams Conduct Demonstration Ahead of Launch
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August 11, 2025 | Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) at NASA Kennedy Space Center tested Artemis II's emergency egress system several days at Launch Complex 39B.
In the event of a real emergency, astronauts would use emergency egress baskets. The baskets are suspended on cables mounted on the mobile launcher to the edge of the launch pad. The 1,335-foot-long cables will whisk the crew away from the launch vehicle to the perimeter of the pad where emergency response vehicles can drive them to safety. The test also reviewed how the crew would interact with the emergency responders.
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July 24, 2025 | The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission was moved inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it arrived from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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March 23, 2025 | Another element of the SLS rocket for Artemis II is setup for flight. The core stage was lifted and stacked with the solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The core stage is the largest component of the rocket, standing 212 feet tall. It supports the launch vehicle stage adapter, interim cryogenic propulsion stage, the Orion stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission. The core stage began its final check out on March 14.
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February 19, 2025 | Exploration Ground Systems completed stacking operations on the twin solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II SLS by integrating the nose cones on top of the five segments of the two boosters inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. During the three months of stacking operations, a massive overhead crane lifted 10 booster segments and nose cones, stacking two solid rocket boosters into place on the mobile launcher that will be used to launch the system when completed.
December 21, 2024 | The Artemis I Orion crew module returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after an 11-month test campaign at the agency’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
On-line Resources for Artemis-II
This is NASA's official website for the Artemis II mission.
Artemis II SLS Reference Guide
This is a 82-page, 58-MB PDF document. There is also a web version available.
This blog includes information on the new Artemis program updates.
Pillip Sloss has been producing highly detailed videos covering the progress of Artemis II in great detail. Here is a link to one of his livestream videos during the actual mission: Continuing live coverage of Artemis II: Lunar Flyby on Flight Day 6
Key Test Drive of Orion on NASA’s Artemis II to Aid Future Missions - Details on the proximity operations, a technology demostration of the Orion manueverability carried out by the Artemis II crew.
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