NASA's Artemis II: Humans are heading back around the Moon
NASA's Artemis II mission is about to send four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the Moon—the first time humans have gone this far from Earth since 1972.
The crew will launch from Kennedy Space Center using NASA's most powerful rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
Meet the crew: Breaking new ground in space
This team isn't just skilled—they're making history.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch (all from NASA) will be joined by Jeremy Hansen from Canada.
It's a big deal: Koch is set to be the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American, on a deep space mission.
What makes Artemis II special?
The flight path is tricky—Orion will loop around Earth before slingshotting past the Moon and back.
This lets NASA check all systems for future missions that could land people on the lunar surface again.
Launch prep starts soon, with liftoff expected between February and April 2026.