Artemis II Launches: NASA Sends Astronauts to the Moon for the First Time Since 1972

At 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, 2026, the mighty Space Launch System (SLS) rocket thundered to life at Kennedy Space Center, sending the Orion spacecraft and its four-person crew on a historic trajectory toward the Moon. This is the first time humans have ventured beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.

The Crew

Artemis II carries an exceptional crew of four astronauts:

• Commander Reid Wiseman — NASA veteran and former ISS crew member
• Pilot Victor Glover — the first person of color to fly to the Moon
• Mission Specialist Christina Koch — who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman
• Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — Canadian Space Agency astronaut, marking Canada's first deep space mission

Mission Profile

Unlike the Apollo missions, Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface. Instead, the Orion capsule will execute a free-return trajectory, swinging around the far side of the Moon at a closest approach of approximately 6,400 miles (10,300 km) before using the Moon's gravity to slingshot back toward Earth.

The capsule is expected to reach the Moon around April 6, with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean targeted for April 10, 2026.

Why This Matters

Artemis II serves as a critical test flight for the Orion spacecraft's life support systems, navigation, and communication capabilities with a human crew aboard. Every system tested on this mission paves the way for Artemis III, currently planned for 2027, which aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.

What Comes Next

Artemis III will involve Orion docking with a lunar lander — either SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System or Blue Origin's Blue Moon — to deliver astronauts to the Moon's south pole, where water ice has been detected in permanently shadowed craters.