WATCH LIVE at 6:24p ET: Artemis II Launch At Kennedy Space Center In Florida
More than 50 years after humans last ventured beyond Earth orbit, NASA is preparing for a historic return to deep space. The Artemis II mission, set to launch no earlier than Wednesday, April 1, will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon, with extensive real-time coverage available online.
NASA’s Artemis Program In Full
NASA’s Artemis program is designed as a step-by-step return to the moon, ultimately culminating in a permanent moonbase:
Artemis I – Uncrewed test flight that successfully orbited the moon and returned to Earth (completed in 2022)
Artemis II – First crewed mission, flying astronauts around the moon (expected April 2026)
Artemis III – Planned mission to test systems ahead of a lunar landing (expected 2027)
Artemis IV – Expected to deliver astronauts to the moon’s surface, targeting the south pole (expected 2028–2029)
Artemis V – A follow-up mission aimed at expanding lunar exploration capabilities (expected 2029–2030)The mission will carry four astronauts: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch — all from NASA — and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
Their journey will mark several historic milestones, including the first time a woman, a Black man and a non-American astronaut travel beyond low-Earth orbit toward the moon. Over approximately 10 days, the crew will test critical systems aboard the Orion spacecraft, including life-support technology designed for deep-space missions.
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