NASA's Artemis II Mission to Orbit the Moon with Diverse Crew

The first crewed lunar mission in almost 50 years will send four astronauts on a quick fly-around of the moon.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 2:07pm

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A bold, abstract painting in muted tones of blue, green, and orange, featuring sweeping geometric arcs and concentric circles that suggest the complex orbital mechanics and trajectories of the Artemis II mission to the moon.The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a historic lunar flyby, breaking distance records and providing valuable scientific data about the far side of the moon.San Diego Today

NASA's upcoming Artemis II mission will send a diverse crew of four astronauts - including the first woman, first person of color, and first non-American to travel to the moon - on a lunar fly-around lasting less than 10 days. The mission will use the powerful new Space Launch System rocket to propel the Orion capsule on a free-return trajectory around the moon, breaking distance records set during the Apollo era.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in NASA's plans to establish a sustained human presence on and around the moon. The diverse crew composition also represents an important step towards greater inclusivity in space exploration. The mission's observations of the lunar far side, which has only been visited by robotic probes, will provide valuable scientific data.

The details

After launching on the Space Launch System rocket, the Artemis II crew - commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen - will first spend 25 hours circling the Earth in a high, lopsided orbit. They will then use the rocket's upper stage as a target for docking practice before the main engine propels them towards the moon. On the sixth day of the mission, Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth, over 5,000 miles beyond the moon, setting a new distance record for human spaceflight. The crew will then slingshot back around the moon and return to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean after about 10 days.

  • Artemis II is slated to launch as early as April 1, 2026.
  • The mission will last approximately 10 days.
  • On flight day six, Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth, over 5,000 miles beyond the moon.

The players

Reid Wiseman

The commander of the Artemis II mission, a retired Navy captain who previously lived aboard the International Space Station in 2014 and later headed NASA's astronaut corps.

Victor Glover

A Navy test pilot who was the first Black astronaut to live and work aboard the space station in 2020 and 2021, and one of the first astronauts to launch with SpaceX.

Christina Koch

An astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, and took part in the first all-female spacewalk during her 328-day mission at the International Space Station in 2019 and 2020.

Jeremy Hansen

A former fighter pilot from the Canadian Space Agency, and the lone space rookie on the Artemis II crew.

Kelsey Young

A NASA geologist who will monitor the Artemis II lunar flyby from Mission Control in Houston.

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What they’re saying

“The moon is like such a unifying thing. What we're doing with this mission is going to bring that a little closer to everybody around the world.”

— Kelsey Young, NASA geologist

“Sometimes simple stuff is the best.”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II mission commander

What’s next

After the successful Artemis II mission, NASA plans to send the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis III mission, currently targeted for 2027.

The takeaway

The Artemis II mission represents a major milestone in NASA's Artemis program, not only by returning humans to the moon for the first time in nearly 50 years, but also by doing so with a diverse crew that reflects the global nature of modern space exploration.