NASA Artemis II: Humans Are Going Back to the Moon After 54 Years

For the first time in 54 years, humans are traveling to the Moon. NASA’s Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back. As of today, the crew is on Flight Day 5, speeding toward a lunar flyby on April 6 that will bring them within 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) of the Moon’s surface — the closest any human has been since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

This isn’t just a nostalgia trip. Artemis II is the first crewed test of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, proving the hardware that will eventually land astronauts on the lunar surface in Artemis III. And this crew is making history in ways that go far beyond the mission itself.

The Crew: Four Firsts in One Mission

Every member of the Artemis II crew is making history:

Astronaut	Role	Agency	Historic First
Reid Wiseman	Commander	NASA	Oldest person to fly beyond low Earth orbit
Victor Glover	Pilot	NASA	First person of color beyond low Earth orbit
Christina Koch	Mission Specialist	NASA	First woman to fly beyond low Earth orbit
Jeremy Hansen	Mission Specialist	CSA (Canada)	First non-U.S. citizen beyond low Earth orbit

Christina Koch already holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days on the ISS). Victor Glover was the pilot of SpaceX Crew-1, the first operational crewed SpaceX mission. Jeremy Hansen represents Canada’s contribution to the Artemis program — a partnership that includes Canada building the Canadarm3 robotic arm for the planned lunar Gateway station.

Mission Timeline

Date	Event	Details
April 1	Launch	SLS liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, 6:35 PM EDT
April 1-2	Earth orbit	Two orbits around Earth, systems checks
April 2	Trans-lunar injection	Crew leaves Earth orbit — first humans beyond LEO since 1972
April 3-5	Outbound coast	Systems tests, trajectory corrections, crew activities
April 6	Lunar flyby	Closest approach ~8,000 km from Moon surface; far side observations
April 7-9	Return coast	Heading back to Earth
April 10	Splashdown	Pacific Ocean, off San Diego coast

What’s Happened So Far

The mission has been remarkably smooth so far — with one memorable exception:

• Launch (April 1): SLS performed flawlessly, delivering Orion into Earth orbit. The most powerful rocket NASA has ever launched worked exactly as designed.
• Trans-lunar injection (April 2): The upper stage fired to push Orion out of Earth orbit and toward the Moon. The crew officially became the first humans to leave Earth orbit since 1972.
• Trajectory so good, corrections were cancelled: Flight controllers cancelled the first outbound trajectory correction burn because Orion’s path was already precise enough — a testament to the SLS and Orion’s accuracy.
• The toilet broke (April 2): Yes, really. The Orion spacecraft’s toilet had an issue that the crew had to troubleshoot. They fixed it. Some things never change in space.
• Cabin prep for flyby (April 4-5): The crew is preparing the cabin for the lunar flyby, stowing equipment and getting cameras ready for what will be humanity’s first close-up look at the Moon in over half a century.

Video: LIVE updates as Artemis II astronauts embark on NASA moon mission (Associated Press)

Tomorrow: The Lunar Flyby

The highlight of the entire mission happens tomorrow, April 6. The Orion spacecraft will swing around the Moon, coming within approximately 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) of the lunar surface during a multi-hour flyby. During this window:

• The astronauts will photograph the Moon’s surface in unprecedented detail from human eyes
• They’ll observe areas of the far side of the Moon that no human has ever directly seen
• The flyby will test Orion’s navigation and communication systems in the lunar environment
• Data collected will directly inform the Artemis III landing site selection

After the flyby, Orion will use the Moon’s gravity to slingshot back toward Earth, with splashdown planned for April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

Why Artemis II Matters

Artemis II isn’t just a victory lap around the Moon. It’s the critical proving ground for everything that comes next:

• Artemis III — the actual lunar landing — will use the same Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket. Artemis II proves they can safely carry a crew to the Moon and back.
• The Orion life support systems are being tested with a real crew for the first time. The uncrewed Artemis I in 2022 tested the hardware, but humans are unpredictable — they breathe, eat, use the toilet (and break it), and generate heat.
• Deep space communication is being validated over lunar distances — critical for future Mars missions.
• The heat shield will be tested at lunar return speeds (~40,000 km/h) during Earth reentry, with humans aboard for the first time.

The Bigger Picture: Artemis Program Timeline

Mission	Date	Objective
Artemis I	Nov 2022	Uncrewed test flight around the Moon (completed)
Artemis II	Apr 2026	Crewed flyby of the Moon (in progress)
Artemis III	~2028	First crewed lunar landing since 1972
Artemis IV+	2029+	Sustained lunar presence, Gateway station, Mars prep

The ultimate goal of the Artemis program extends far beyond the Moon. NASA is using lunar missions to develop and test the technology needed for crewed missions to Mars — including life support, deep space navigation, and habitat systems. The Moon is the proving ground; Mars is the destination.