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Artemis II Prepares for Crewed Lunar Flyby in Early 2026

lite News Desk 2 min read

At a glance

  • Artemis II will send four astronauts around the Moon without landing
  • The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than February 6, 2026
  • Key systems and scientific experiments will be tested during the ten-day flight

NASA is advancing preparations for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts on a lunar flyby in early 2026. The mission will focus on testing spacecraft systems and conducting scientific investigations in deep space.

The Artemis II crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Their assignment involves traveling aboard the Orion spacecraft, which will be launched atop the Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center.

During the mission, the crew will not land on the lunar surface but will instead follow a free-return trajectory around the Moon. This path allows the spacecraft to loop around the Moon and return to Earth after approximately ten days in space.

Artemis II will serve as a test for several critical systems, including life support, navigation, communication, and docking capabilities. The mission will also evaluate the performance of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket in the deep space environment.

What the numbers show

  • Four astronauts will participate in the Artemis II mission
  • The mission is planned to last about ten days
  • Rollout to Launch Pad 39B is scheduled for January 17, 2026
  • Launch is set for no earlier than February 6, 2026

In addition to system tests, Artemis II will carry out scientific tasks such as monitoring crew health and observing the lunar surface from orbit. The mission will also deploy CubeSats into high Earth orbit to support scientific and technological research.

The spacecraft will test laser communication technology between Orion and ground stations on Earth. This demonstration aims to enhance data transmission capabilities for future deep space missions.

NASA has scheduled the rollout of the combined SLS and Orion stack to Launch Pad 39B for January 17, 2026, using crawler-transporter 2 over a period of about twelve hours. Following launch, the mission will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after completing its lunar flyby.

Artemis II is positioned as a key step in NASA’s broader Artemis program, which seeks to expand human presence in lunar orbit and prepare for future exploration missions beyond the Moon.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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