NASA’s Artemis II Mission Launches: First Crewed Lunar Flyby in Over 50 Years
April 2, 2026 — NASA successfully launched the Artemis II mission on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The 10-day mission sent four astronauts on a lunar flyby aboard NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist).
Unlike future landing missions, Artemis II will not land on the Moon. Instead, the crew will travel on a free-return trajectory, flying around the Moon and returning to Earth. During the journey, they will test critical deep-space systems, including life support, navigation, and communication in the harsh environment beyond Earth’s orbit. The mission will push humans farther from Earth than ever before in the modern era.
This crewed test flight builds on the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission and serves as a major stepping stone toward Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface, including the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. The long-term goal of the Artemis program is to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and prepare for future human missions to Mars.
Following a smooth liftoff, the crew is now in orbit and preparing for the multi-day journey to the Moon. NASA officials described the launch as a historic milestone for international cooperation and the future of human space exploration.