Artemis II Astronauts Embark on Historic Moon Mission

Four-person crew will travel record distance from Earth on 10-day lunar orbit

Apr. 2, 2026 at 10:06am

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Four astronauts, including the first Black man and first woman to travel to deep space, launched on Wednesday aboard the Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight to the moon since the Apollo era. The 32-story rocket will take the crew - NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen - on a journey around the lunar surface, though they will not land. The mission is a series of firsts, with Glover becoming the first Black man to ride into deep space and Koch the first woman. Hansen is the first non-American to participate in a moon mission.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in the return to crewed lunar exploration, paving the way for future missions that could eventually lead to the first human landing on the moon since 1972. The mission will test critical systems and hardware necessary for sending astronauts to the moon, and eventually to Mars, as part of NASA's ambitious Artemis program.

The details

The Artemis II spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket's upper stage, and the crew is now manually piloting the Orion capsule through a series of proximity operations tests, similar to how they would dock with a lunar lander. On the second day of the mission, the crew will perform a 'perigee raise burn' to lift the lowest point of Orion's orbit and prepare for the key translunar injection burn that will send the capsule to the moon. The 10-day mission is expected to set a new distance record for NASA, with the spacecraft traveling approximately 252,799 miles from Earth - over 4,000 miles farther than the Apollo 13 crew had to travel during their emergency return.

  • The Artemis II mission launched on Wednesday, April 2, 2026 at 6:35 p.m. ET from pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  • On the second day of the mission, the crew is scheduled to wake up at 7 a.m. ET to perform the 'perigee raise burn'.
  • The Artemis II spacecraft is expected to reach the moon on Monday, April 7, 2026.

The players

Reid Wiseman

NASA astronaut on the Artemis II mission.

Victor Glover

NASA astronaut on the Artemis II mission, the first Black man to ride into deep space.

Christina Koch

NASA astronaut on the Artemis II mission, the first woman to travel to deep space.

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian Space Agency astronaut on the Artemis II mission, the first non-American to participate in a moon mission.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson

NASA launch director who addressed the Artemis II crew before liftoff.

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What they’re saying

“On this historic mission, you take with you the heart of this Artemis team, the daring spirit of the American people and our partners across the globe, and the hopes and dreams of a new generation. Good luck, Godspeed Artemis II. Let's go.”

— Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA launch director

What’s next

The Artemis II spacecraft is expected to reach the moon on Monday, April 7, 2026, where it will swing around the far side of the lunar surface and set a new distance record for NASA.

The takeaway

The Artemis II mission marks a significant step forward in NASA's ambitious Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and eventually send a crewed mission to Mars. The diverse crew and record-setting journey underscore the program's commitment to pushing the boundaries of human space exploration and inspiring a new generation of scientists and astronauts.