What to Expect from NASA’s 2026 Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA’s Artemis II mission, currently planned for no later than April 2026, will mark a major milestone in the United States’ return to human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit. Artemis II will be the first crewed mission of the Artemis program and the first time astronauts travel around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. 

The mission will send four astronauts aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on a multi-day lunar flyby. Unlike future Artemis missions, Artemis II will not land on the Moon. Instead, the flight is designed to test Orion’s life-support systems, propulsion, navigation, and reentry capabilities with a crew on board, providing critical data ahead of planned lunar surface missions. 

During the mission, the crew will perform a series of system checks, including manual spacecraft operations, communications testing, and evaluations of thermal protection and power systems. The spacecraft will travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon before returning to Earth, validating deep-space operations essential for sustained lunar exploration. 

Artemis II is a key step toward NASA’s long-term goals of establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon and using lunar missions as a proving ground for future crewed missions to Mars. The mission also highlights the role of advanced engineering, manufacturing, and systems integration across NASA, industry partners, and the broader aerospace workforce. 

If successful, Artemis II will pave the way for Artemis III and subsequent missions that aim to land astronauts on the lunar surface and expand scientific exploration of the Moon’s south polar region.