Artemis II

Artemis II

Artemis II was a flight around the Moon with astronauts. It happened from April 1 to April 11, 2026. It was the first time people flew beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. This mission helped get ready for future trips to the Moon.

Artemis II was the second flight of the Space Launch System (SLS). It was also the first flight with people on the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity. The main goal was to test the spacecraft’s systems for future Moon missions.

The crew included Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and commander Reid Wiseman. During their flight, they traveled farther from Earth than any humans before.

After launch, Artemis II got attention around the world for its successful mission and diverse crew. This led to the term Moon joy.

History

Mission planning and launch date selection (2017–2021)

In 2017, NASA planned a mission called Exploration Mission-2. This mission would have used a special rocket and spacecraft to visit an asteroid near the Moon. But the plan changed when the asteroid mission was cancelled. NASA then thought about sending astronauts around the Moon for eight days. Another idea was to send astronauts to help build a space station called the Lunar Gateway. But this plan changed too.

Hardware development, testing and integration (2021–2025)

In 2023, NASA moved important parts of the rocket and prepared the engines. The crew for Artemis II was announced in April 2023. There were delays because of problems with the spacecraft’s life support system and its heat shield. The heat shield protects the spacecraft when it comes back through Earth’s atmosphere. Finally, all the parts were put together, and the rocket was ready for launch.

Heat shield concerns

After an earlier uncrewed mission in 2022, NASA found that the heat shield on the spacecraft had worn down more than expected. Engineers studied the problem and decided to adjust the way the spacecraft would return to Earth for Artemis II. They believed this would keep the crew safe even with the existing heat shield.

Mission delays

The launch date for Artemis II was changed many times. It was first planned for 2023, then moved to 2025, and finally set for April 2026. There were delays because of storms, leaks, and other technical issues. In March 2026, NASA announced that the launch would take place on April 1, 2026, after all the tests were done and the crew was ready.

Crew

Artemis II had four astronauts: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch from the NASA Astronaut Corps, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Astronaut Corps. This mission was important because Victor Glover was the first person of color, Christina Koch was the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen was the first non-American to travel around the Moon.

A special zero-gravity indicator onboard was a plush toy named Rise, made by an 8-year-old boy named Lucas Ye.

Mission

Artemis II was a flight test with four astronauts. They tested the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft in deep space. The crew spent the first day in high Earth orbit, checking and testing the spacecraft.

After this, Orion flew toward the Moon. The launch happened on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center. The crew tested life support systems and practiced moves for future docking. They flew around the Moon, getting as close as about 4,067 miles to its surface. After flying by the Moon, Orion came back to Earth. It landed in the Pacific Ocean on April 11, 2026. The crew was picked up by the U.S. Navy.

Experiments

Artemis II had important experiments to help future space missions. One experiment, called AVATAR, mimicked human organs to see how space affects astronauts. Crew members wore monitors to track their health and sleep during the mission.

The mission tested a new way to send information to Earth using laser beams. This new way is smaller and uses less power than older methods. Artemis II also carried small satellites called CubeSats from different countries to study space conditions and radiation. These experiments will help scientists learn how to keep astronauts safe on future trips to space.

Main articles: CubeSat, Artemis Accords

Public outreach

See also: Artemis I § Public outreach

NASA asked people to help with the Artemis II mission by letting them create a "boarding pass" online. These names were saved on an SD card and taken on the spacecraft.

NASA also had a contest to design a zero-gravity indicator, a special mascot for the mission. Over 2,600 designs were sent in from more than 50 countries. The winning design, called Rise, was made by an eight-year-old named Lucas Ye from California. Rise shows the Moon wearing Earth like a baseball cap. The mascot was turned into a soft toy and taken on the spacecraft.

Before the launch, NASA showed the astronauts' special food, which included tasty dishes like tortillas, vegetable quiche, and brisket. People could also look for bright flashes on the Moon from meteor strikes, just like the crew would during their flight.

In culture

Artemis II was shown live by NASA. They shared videos from the spacecraft and talks from the crew. The crew’s excitement brought a special feeling called “moon joy.” This feeling mixed happiness and thrill from going to the Moon.

At first, not many people expected Artemis II. But interest grew fast once it launched. Many people around the world watched and felt excited together. This was special because most people hadn’t seen a Moon mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Misinformation

Some people online shared false ideas about Artemis II. They posted made-up videos saying the mission was not real. A colorful picture of the Moon, taken in 2025 by a Ukrainian photographer, was wrongly said to be from the Artemis II crew.

Similar missions

NASA said Artemis II's goals were like those of Apollo 7 and Apollo 8. It tested the spacecraft in Earth and lunar orbit in one mission. Unlike Apollo 8, Artemis II did not go into lunar orbit. Instead, it flew around the Moon on a free-return trajectory, similar to Apollo 13 in 1970. While Apollo 13 went very close to the Moon, Artemis II stayed farther away during its flyby.

Mission insignia

The Artemis II mission patch was designed by Gregory Manchess. It was inspired by the Apollo 8 patch, which included an infinity symbol. The Artemis II patch shows a curved path that looks like the number 2. This represents the mission's journey from Earth to the Moon. It also shows Earth as seen from the Moon, like the famous Earthrise photograph taken during Apollo 8. This design shows the link between Artemis II and Apollo 8. It marks Artemis II as the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo. The astronauts had a special version of the patch for their return to Earth. In this version, Earth looked larger and the Moon looked smaller.

Wake-up calls

NASA began the tradition of playing music for astronauts during the Gemini program. They first used music to wake up a crew during Apollo 15. Each song is chosen especially, often by the astronauts' families. The songs usually mean something special to one of the crew members or match their daily tasks.

Artemis II was the first NASA mission to collect its wake-up songs into an official Spotify playlist. The crew also heard pre-recorded greetings from former Apollo astronauts Charlie Duke and Jim Lovell. Some of the songs became very popular around the world after the mission.