March 13, 2026 Artemis II: The Next Giant Leap Toward the Moon

Artemis II will be NASA’s first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since the Apollo era, marking a historic return of humans to deep space more than 50 years after Apollo 17 in 1972.

The mission will launch aboard the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts inside the Orion spacecraft on a journey around the Moon.

Artemis II Crew
• Reid Wiseman (NASA) – Mission Commander
• Victor Glover (NASA) – Pilot
• Christina Koch (NASA) – Mission Specialist
• Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency)

During the mission, Orion will travel roughly 370,000 kilometers from Earth, performing a lunar flyby before returning home in about 10 days.

This mission will test critical systems such as:

Life-support for astronauts in deep space
Navigation and communication beyond Earth orbit

High-speed reentry into Earth’s atmosphere

Although Artemis II will not land on the Moon, it is a crucial step before the next missions attempt human landings near the Moon’s south pole, where scientists believe water ice may exist in permanently shadowed craters.

The Artemis program aims to build a long-term human presence on the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars.

For the first time in half a century, humans are preparing to travel back toward the Moon — opening a new era of space exploration.