For the first time in over 50 years, NASA is planning to send astronauts to the Moon. The mission, called Artemis II, is now targeting a launch as early as February 2026.
What is the Mission?
Artemis II is a 10-day trip where four astronauts will travel to the Moon, fly around it, and return to Earth. They will not land on the surface. The main goal is to thoroughly test all the spacecraft systems before a future mission attempts a landing.
The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
Key Details of the Flight
- The Journey: The astronauts will fly farther beyond the Moon than any previous human mission.
- The Rocket & Capsule: They will launch on NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket inside the Orion crew capsule.
- Testing: The crew will manually pilot the Orion capsule to practice docking maneuvers needed for future missions. They will also act as “human guinea pigs” for health experiments to see how deep space affects the human body.
What Happens Next?
The success of Artemis II is critical for the next step: Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface. However, even if Artemis II is perfect, experts believe the 2027 target for a landing is optimistic. This is because the lunar lander, being built by SpaceX, still needs significant development and testing.
In short: NASA is pushing to send astronauts on a lunar fly-by mission in early 2026, marking a major return to human deep space exploration after a 50-year gap.