Story continues after Advertisements

NASA is preparing to send four astronauts on a historic voyage around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, marking the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era more than 50 years ago.

The Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis program, is targeted for launch no earlier than April 1, 2026, at 6:24 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Backup launch opportunities exist daily through April 6, with an additional window on April 30.

The four-person crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), and Christina Koch (mission specialist), along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist). This diverse crew will test the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft in deep space, verifying life support, navigation, propulsion, and other critical systems ahead of future lunar landings.

LIVE: Our Artemis II crew is arriving at @NASAKennedy! Tune in as they talk about their upcoming mission around the Moon. https://t.co/Jt8eyFIkuj

— NASA (@NASA) March 27, 2026

The approximately 10-day mission will follow a free-return trajectory. After liftoff, the Orion spacecraft will separate from the SLS and travel outbound for about three to four days toward the Moon. On flight day 6, the crew will conduct a lunar flyby, passing within roughly 4,000 to 6,000 miles (6,400 to 9,700 kilometers) of the lunar surface—close enough for the Moon to appear about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length—while swinging around the far side. At its farthest point, the mission is expected to surpass the Apollo 13 record, sending humans more than 248,655 miles from Earth (see video below for trajectory).

The spacecraft will not enter lunar orbit or land on the surface. Instead, it will use the Moon’s gravity for a slingshot effect and begin the return journey to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego after traveling more than 600,000 miles total.

Our Artemis II crew will be going around the Moon, but they'll always find their way back home 🌎

During this complex journey, the four astronauts will travel ~685,000 miles on a trajectory around the Moon and back to Earth.

See their daily agenda: https://t.co/172PVtri2Z pic.twitter.com/zsK5i6pirj

— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) March 25, 2026

Artemis II builds directly on the uncrewed Artemis I test flight completed in 2022. It serves as a critical stepping stone for the Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and prepare for eventual crewed missions to Mars. Subsequent missions include Artemis III (targeted for 2027, focused on systems testing in Earth orbit under recent schedule adjustments) and crewed lunar landings beginning with Artemis IV in 2028. Future missions will require SpaceX Starship Human Landing Systen to actually land crew on the lunar surface.

NASA has emphasized rigorous testing of the Orion heat shield and other hardware following the uncrewed flight, with the crew participating in ongoing simulations and preparations from their base in Houston. Live coverage of the launch, lunar flyby, and other mission events will be available on NASA social media. This mission represents a key milestone in international collaboration and the next phase of human deep-space exploration.

Introducing the Moon Mascot for the Artemis II mission!

The zero gravity indicator for the Moonbound crew was selected from thousands of submissions from over 50 countries and is named “Rise.” The design was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 mission. pic.twitter.com/5g2B0I6BDn

— NASA (@NASA) March 27, 2026

Author’s note: Thanks for reading Cosmic Chronicles. Write your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have story suggestions or feedback, Direct Message me on social media 𝕏: Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo @JaneidyEve. Read the most recent stories featured below. Thank You.