NASA's Artemis II mission to the Moon: All we know
NASA is sending four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the Moon in March 2026—the first time people will fly that far from Earth in over 50 years.
The crew will launch from Kennedy Space Center on the massive SLS rocket, riding inside the Orion spacecraft.
Artemis II crew watched as NASA filled up the rocket
Just this week, the Artemis II team watched as NASA filled up their giant rocket with over 700,000 gallons of super-cold fuel—one of the last big tests before launch day.
The crew observed part of the test from the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center while engineers reviewed data.
Orion won't just loop around the Moon
Orion won't just loop around the Moon—it'll carry a crew on a lunar flyaround and undergo spacecraft and operational tests.
These checks are key steps before anyone actually lands on the lunar surface again.