Reid Wiseman
CommanderU.S. Navy Captain and NASA astronaut. Previously served as ISS Expedition 41 flight engineer (2014) logging 165 days in space. Former Navy test pilot.
Artemis Program
Crewed Flyby
Artemis II
First crewed Artemis mission. Launched April 1, 2026 — humanity's first crewed voyage to the Moon since 1972. Splashed down April 10 after a 694,481-mile, 10-day journey.
Mission Overview
Artemis II is humanity's first crewed voyage to the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — more than 53 years ago. The mission launched April 1, 2026, completed a historic lunar flyby on April 6, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on April 10 at 8:07 p.m. EDT. Four astronauts flew around the Moon in the Orion spacecraft (named Integrity by the crew), traveling 694,481 miles over 10 days.
The mission was a critical test of Orion's life support systems with a crew aboard, validating everything from environmental controls to navigation and communication systems in deep space. The crew completed manual piloting demonstrations, lunar surface photography of 30 science targets, and broke the Apollo 13 distance record at 252,756 miles from Earth. On return, Orion re-entered the atmosphere at Mach 35 and the heat shield performed nominally — a key validation after unexpected erosion during Artemis I.
Artemis II follows the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission, which flew the same trajectory in late 2022. However, Artemis I revealed unexpected erosion and cracking in Orion's heat shield — issues that required extensive analysis and fixes before putting a crew aboard, contributing to schedule delays.
Technical Overview
Mission Duration
~10 days
Total Distance
685,000 mi
1,102,000 km
Crew Size
4
Astronauts
Closest Lunar Approach
~6,400 mi
~10,300 km from surface
Launch Vehicle Height
322 ft
98.1 m — SLS Block 1
SLS Thrust at Liftoff
8.8 M lbf
39.1 MN
Orion Mass
57,770 lb
26,200 kg (with ESM)
Heat Shield Diameter
16.5 ft
5.03 m — largest ever built
Re-entry Speed
24,500 mph
Mach 32 — 39,400 km/h
Habitable Volume
316 ft³
8.95 m³
Mission Objectives
01
Crewed Lunar Flyby
Send four astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the Moon — the first crewed voyage beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
02
Test Life Support Systems
Validate Orion's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) with a crew aboard during deep space transit, including CO2 scrubbing, temperature regulation, and water recovery.
03
Validate Crewed Operations
Test manual piloting of Orion, crew interfaces, communication links with Mission Control, and emergency procedures in the deep space environment.
04
Heat Shield Verification
Validate the modified heat shield following the unexpected charring and erosion discovered during Artemis I re-entry at Mach 32 — with crew safety on the line.
05
Navigation & Communication
Demonstrate deep space navigation accuracy and high-bandwidth communication between Orion, the Deep Space Network, and Mission Control in Houston.
06
Pave the Way for Artemis III
Certify Orion and SLS for crewed lunar missions, enabling the Artemis III landing mission — the first crewed lunar surface mission in over 50 years.
Spacecraft
Spacecraft diagram coming soon
01
Launch Abort System (LAS)
Solid rocket motor tower capable of pulling the crew module away from SLS in the event of a launch emergency, generating 400,000 lbf of thrust.
02
Crew Module
Pressurized capsule housing four astronauts. Contains flight deck, crew accommodations, and the AVCOAT heat shield — the largest ever built at 16.5 ft diameter.
03
European Service Module (ESM)
Built by Airbus for ESA. Provides propulsion (OMS-E engine, 33 auxiliary thrusters), power (four solar arrays generating 11.1 kW), thermal control, and consumables storage.
04
Solar Array Wings
Four deployable solar arrays spanning 62 ft (19 m) tip-to-tip, providing all electrical power during the mission. Each wing has three panels with triple-junction solar cells.
05
Orbital Maneuvering System Engine
Main engine derived from the Space Shuttle's OMS engine, producing 6,000 lbf of thrust. Powers major maneuvers including trans-lunar injection correction and return burns.
Crew
Victor Glover
PilotU.S. Navy Captain and NASA astronaut. Flew on SpaceX Crew-1 to the ISS (2020-2021), logging 167 days in space. First person of color assigned to a lunar mission.
Christina Koch
Mission SpecialistNASA astronaut and electrical engineer. Holds the record for longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days, ISS 2019-2020). Conducted first all-female spacewalk.
Jeremy Hansen
Mission SpecialistCanadian Armed Forces Colonel and CSA astronaut. First Canadian assigned to a lunar mission. Former CF-18 fighter pilot. Selected by CSA in 2009. This will be his first spaceflight.
Mission Updates
Artemis II Crew Splashes Down After 694,481-Mile Lunar Voyage
The Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT, completing humanity's first crewed voyage to the Moon in over 50 years. The crew module separated from the service module at 7:33 p.m., re-entered the atmosphere at Mach 35 with temperatures reaching about 3,000°F, and endured a six-minute communications blackout before deploying drogue and main parachutes. Recovery teams from NASA and the U.S. military extracted the crew and flew them by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for post-mission medical evaluations before returning to NASA's Johnson Space Center.
Read SourceHistoric Lunar Flyby Completed, Distance Record Broken
The crew completed a six-hour lunar flyby, passing within 4,067 miles of the surface at closest approach. They reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth — breaking Apollo 13's record by over 4,100 miles. During a 40-minute communications blackout behind the Moon, the crew witnessed an Earthrise and later observed a solar eclipse. Astronauts photographed 30 pre-identified science targets and provisionally named two craters: Integrity (after their spacecraft) and Carroll (honoring Commander Wiseman's late wife).
Read SourceOrion Breaks Free of Earth Orbit, Crew Bound for the Moon
Orion's main engine fired for five minutes and 50 seconds to complete the translunar injection burn at 7:49 p.m. EDT, sending the four-person crew out of Earth orbit and on a trajectory toward the Moon — the first humans to depart Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew named their spacecraft Integrity.
Read SourceArtemis II Launches — First Crewed Lunar Mission in Over 50 Years
NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft launched from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon. Orion's four solar array wings deployed successfully with a 63-foot wingspan and 15,000 solar cells, and the crew completed initial orbital maneuvers and system checkouts.
Read SourceSLS Returns to Launch Pad 39B After Helium Repairs
NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Launch Pad 39B after an 11-hour, 4-mile rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The rocket had been rolled back on February 25 to repair a helium flow obstruction in the upper stage quick disconnect. Engineers replaced the seal, refreshed flight batteries, and retested systems. Launch was targeted for April 1.
Read SourceNASA Completes Helium Repairs in Vehicle Assembly Building
Engineers identified and repaired a dislodged seal in the upper stage quick disconnect that had prevented helium from flowing to the rocket during the February 21 wet dress rehearsal. The team reassembled the system and validated repairs by running a reduced flow rate of helium. Technicians also replaced flight batteries on the upper stage, core stage, and solid rocket boosters.
Read SourceSLS Rolled Back to VAB for Helium Repairs, Launch Slips to April
NASA rolled the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Pad 39B back to the Vehicle Assembly Building after discovering a helium pressurization issue with the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. The March 6 launch date was abandoned, with the next available window opening in April 2026. Crew members were released from pre-launch quarantine.
Read SourceSuccessful Second Wet Dress Rehearsal
NASA successfully fueled the SLS rocket and demonstrated the launch countdown during a second wet dress rehearsal. Engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of liquid propellant, closed Orion's hatches, and completed two runs of terminal count. Hydrogen concentrations remained under allowable limits, resolving the issue from the first WDR.
Read SourceNASA Conducts On-Pad Repairs, Eyes March for Launch
Following the scrubbed wet dress rehearsal, technicians replaced two seals at the tail service mast umbilical where elevated hydrogen concentrations were detected. NASA is planning additional testing at Stennis Space Center and a follow-on fueling test before setting an official launch date, with March 2026 as the earliest potential window.
Read SourceWet Dress Rehearsal Scrubbed After Hydrogen Leak
NASA concluded a wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II after successfully loading cryogenic propellant into the SLS tanks but encountering a liquid hydrogen leak at the tail service mast umbilical. The countdown was automatically stopped at approximately T-5 minutes due to a spike in hydrogen leak rates. NASA ruled out a February launch and is now targeting no earlier than March 2026.
Read SourceCrew Enters Quarantine at Kennedy Space Center
The four Artemis II astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — have entered pre-flight quarantine at Kennedy Space Center, preparing for what was then a February 7 launch target.
Read SourceSLS Rocket Reaches Launch Pad 39B
NASA's Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center after a nearly 12-hour, 4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Read SourceArtemis II Delayed to 2026
NASA announced Artemis II has been rescheduled from late 2024 to April 2026. Delays stem from addressing the unexpected erosion and cracking discovered in Orion's heat shield during Artemis I re-entry.
Read Source