NASA Artemis II Mission: Exploring the Moon’s Far Side

Astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission departed Earth orbit on April 2, 2026, following a six-minute translunar injection burn of the Orion spacecraft’s service module engine.

The maneuver accelerated the crew onto a precise trajectory toward the Moon, marking the first time humans have left Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The mission began on April 1, 2026, with a launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew launched aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which carried the Orion spacecraft, specifically the CM-003 Integrity command module and the ESM-2 service module.

As a 10-day test flight, Artemis II is designed to demonstrate the capabilities of NASA’s deep space systems. According to Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, the mission is gathering critical data to pave the way for future lunar surface missions and eventual crewed flights to Mars.

Since leaving Earth orbit, the crew has executed a series of planned demonstrations. On Flight Day 3, the astronauts prepared the Orion cabin for the lunar flyby. This was followed by a manual piloting demonstration and deep-space flying preparations on Flight Day 4. By Flight Day 5, the crew conducted demonstrations of their suits.

The Orion spacecraft serves as the primary exploration vehicle for the Artemis program, tasked with sustaining the crew during the transit and ensuring their safe return to Earth. The mission is scheduled to conclude with a landing in the Pacific Ocean, currently planned for no earlier than April 10, 2026, at 5:21 p.m. PDT.