Artemis II

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Artemis II
Artemis II Rollout (NHQ202601170047) (cropped).jpg
Artemis II at Launch Complex 39B in January 2026
Names
  • Artemis 2
  • Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2)
Mission typeCrewed lunar flyby
Operator NASA
Mission duration10 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft CM-003 Integrity [1]
Spacecraft type Orion MPCV
Crew
Crew size4
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateNET March 7, 2026, 01:29:00  UTC (March 6, 20:29:00  EST) [2] [3]
Rocket Space Launch System Block 1
Launch site Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B [4]
End of mission
Recovered by U.S. Navy (San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock)
Landing dateNET March 15, 2026
Landing sitePacific Ocean (planned)
Flyby of Moon
Distance6,400 mi (10,300 km) (planned) [5]
Artemis II patch.svg
Mission insignia
Artemis 2 Crew Portrait.jpg
Official crew portrait, clockwise from left: Koch, Glover, Hansen and Wiseman

Artemis II is a planned lunar spaceflight mission under the Artemis program, led by NASA. It is intended to be the second flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), and the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft. It is both the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and the first crewed mission around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission will launch no earlier than March 6, 2026.

Contents

The 10-day mission will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a free-return trajectory around the Moon and back to Earth. Glover will become the first person of color, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to leave low Earth orbit and to travel around the Moon. The flight is set to take the crew farther from Earth than any previous human mission, before reentering Earth's atmosphere at a record speed of approximately 25,000 miles per hour (40,000 km/h).

Artemis II was originally designated Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) and was initially intended to support the now-canceled Asteroid Redirect Mission. Its objectives were revised following the establishment of the Artemis program.

History

Mission planning and the launch date selection (2017–2021)

In 2017, Exploration Mission-2 was a projected single-launch mission of a Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B rocket with an Exploration Upper Stage, lunar Block 1 Orion spacecraft, and a payload insertion of 50.7 tonnes (55.9 short tons ; 112,000  lb ). The plan was to rendezvous with an asteroid previously placed in lunar orbit by the robotic Asteroid Redirect Mission and have astronauts perform spacewalks and gather samples. [6] [7] After the cancellation of the Asteroid Redirect Mission in April 2017, [8] an 8-day mission was proposed with a crew of four astronauts, sent on a free-return trajectory around the Moon. [9] Another proposal suggested in 2017 was to take four astronauts aboard Orion on an 8-to-21–day trip around the Moon to deliver the first element of the Deep Space Gateway. [10] In March 2018, it was decided to launch the first Gateway module on a commercial launch vehicle [11] because of delays in building the Mobile Launcher needed to hold the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage. [12] The launcher was selected to be the SpaceX Falcon Heavy. [13]

Hardware development, testing and integration (2021–present)

SLS core stage for Artemis II lifted into High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building shortly after stacking operations began in December 2024 Artemis II Core Stage Move to VAB High Bay 2 (KSC-20241211-PH-KLS01 0054).jpg
SLS core stage for Artemis II lifted into High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building shortly after stacking operations began in December 2024

On February 11, 2023, NASA rotated the Artemis II core stage's engine section to a horizontal position, marking the final major milestone before integration with the rest of the vehicle. On March 20, the engine section was mated with the core stage in Building 103 at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. NASA initially expected to deliver the completed core stage to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in summer 2023, [14] but by May, the timeline had shifted to late autumn 2023. [15] [16]

RS-25 engines (serial numbers E2047, E2059, E2062, and E2063) were installed on the core stage in New Orleans by September 25, 2023. [17] [18] However, after a leak was discovered in its oxygen valve hydraulics, engine E2063 was replaced with E2061 in April 2025. [19]

In June 2024, NASA announced that the fully outfitted core stage was scheduled for delivery to KSC in July, which was successfully carried out from the 16th to the 25th. [20] [21] [22] The adapters required for integration of the full launch vehicle also reached substantial completion in June 2024 and arrived at KSC in September 2024. [23] [24]

The Artemis II crew was announced on April 3, 2023, by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during his "State of NASA" address at a NASA facility at Ellington Field outside Houston, Texas, [25] and the crew made a public appearance that evening at nearby NRG Stadium during the 2023 March Madness basketball championship game. [26]

Orion spacecraft Integrity and its European Service Module for the Artemis II mission being prepared in March 2025 Artemis II Orion Solar Array Wings Installed (jsc2025e016293).jpg
Orion spacecraft Integrity and its European Service Module for the Artemis II mission being prepared in March 2025

NASA had originally targeted September 2024 to begin rocket stacking operations. However, the schedule was delayed by more than two months due to investigations into issues with Orion's life support system and unexpected damage to Orion's heat shield observed after the Artemis I reentry. [27] Rocket stacking finally began on November 20, 2024. [28] Stacking was completed on October 20, 2025, with the installation of the fully integrated Orion, ESM, and launch abort system atop the SLS rocket. [29]

Rollout of Artemis II stack from the VAB Artemis II Rollout (NHQ202601170015).jpg
Rollout of Artemis II stack from the VAB

On January 18, 2026, the integrated SLS rocket, Orion capsule, and launch tower were rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B. [30]

Launch date

During preliminary reviews in 2011, the launch date was placed somewhere between 2019 and 2021, but afterwards the launch date was delayed to 2023. [31] [32] In January 2024, the mission was expected to launch in September 2025. [33] However, in October 2024, the NASA Office of Inspector General determined that the Exploration Ground Systems team had exhausted their time reserved for resolving any unforeseen issues, leading the office to determine that the September 2025 launch date would likely be delayed. [27] In December 2024, outgoing administrator Nelson announced that the launch was delayed due to the months of engineering investigations into issues with the life support system and heat shield, but they were targeting a launch in April 2026. [34] [35]

In March 2025, AmericaSpace reported that the launch date might be accelerated by two months to February 2026. NASA responded in a statement, saying it could not confirm the revised date but noted, "We're looking for ways to enable an earlier launch if possible, potentially launching as soon as February 2026. A February target allows the agency to capitalize on efficiencies in the flow of operations to integrate the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems while maintaining crew safety as the top priority." [36] By August 2025, more mainstream outlets such as NASASpaceflight, journalist Eric Berger and US Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly also reported that the mission had been moved to February 2026. [37] [38] In September, space agency officials announced that they were pursuing a launch window that opens on February 5, 2026. [39]

For the launch of lunar missions, there are both monthly windows of a few days duration each lunar month, and daily windows lasting a few hours on days within the monthly window. [40] The revised Artemis II plan, which calls for Orion to conduct a shorter skip reentry, further constrains the days within a monthly window during which a launch can be conducted. [41]

The earliest launch window for Artemis II was set for early February 2026. [42] [43] The January 2026 North American winter storm delayed preparations for the launch. [44] A wet dress rehearsal of the countdown occurred February 2. [45] Following the test, NASA announced that the launch would be postponed to March 2026 due to a liquid hydrogen leak that occurred during the simulated countdown. In addition to the leak, a valve associated with Orion crew module hatch pressurization required retorquing, and closeout operations took longer than planned. [46] NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has stated that an actual launch date will only be confirmed after a successful wet dress rehearsal is complete and the results are analyzed. [47] [48]

Heat shield concerns

Artemis I heat shield showing damage after recovery Artemis I Orion heat shield.jpg
Artemis I heat shield showing damage after recovery

Following the uncrewed Artemis I mission in November 2022, NASA identified unexpected erosion of the Orion spacecraft's ablative heat shield after atmospheric reentry. Post-flight inspections found areas of char loss in the AVCOAT ablative material, in which portions of the material eroded more extensively than predicted by preflight models. NASA reported that temperatures within the crew module remained within design limits, but the unanticipated behavior prompted further analysis. Close-up imagery of the damage was not publicly released until May 2024, when it appeared in a report by the NASA Office of Inspector General. [49]

In April 2024, NASA established an independent review team to assess the heat shield performance and the agency's proposed approach for the Artemis II mission. The review concluded in December 2024, after which NASA announced it would proceed with Artemis II using the existing heat shield. NASA held a press briefing to outline its findings, but the publicly released version of the review team's report was heavily redacted, prompting criticism from some former NASA engineers and astronauts regarding the level of disclosure. [50]

NASA engineers determined that the char loss observed during Artemis I was caused by gases becoming trapped within the AVCOAT material, leading to cracking and localized material loss during reentry. Rather than replacing the heat shield for Artemis II, NASA elected to modify the reentry trajectory by increasing the descent angle, reducing the time the spacecraft would spend in the thermal environment associated with the damage. According to NASA, modeling and ground testing indicated this change would limit further char loss while remaining within structural and thermal margins. [50]

As part of the certification process for Artemis II, NASA conducted additional testing and analysis, including evaluations of scenarios involving more extensive heat shield damage. NASA stated that these analyses showed the underlying structure of the Orion capsule would remain intact and capable of protecting the crew under conditions exceeding those expected during the mission reentry. [50]

In January 2026, Isaacman stated that he supported proceeding with Artemis II using the existing heat shield after reviewing the agency's analysis and meeting with engineers and outside experts. Some participants who had previously expressed concerns indicated that the additional data addressed their questions, while others continued to object to flying the mission without a redesigned heat shield. NASA has stated that design changes addressing AVCOAT permeability are planned for the heat shield intended for Artemis III. [50]

Crew

The backup (standing left) and prime crew of Artemis II after a news conference in December 2024 Artemis II prime and backup crew.jpg
The backup (standing left) and prime crew of Artemis II after a news conference in December 2024
Prime crew
Position Astronaut
Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA
Second spaceflight
Pilot Victor Glover, NASA
Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1 Christina Koch, NASA
Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen, CSA
First spaceflight
Backup crew
Position Astronaut
Mission Specialist Andre Douglas, NASA
Mission Specialist Jenni Gibbons, CSA

Artemis II will be crewed by four astronauts: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch, all from NASA, along with mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. [51] On November 22, 2023, Jenni Gibbons was named as Hansen's backup, [52] and on July 3, 2024, Andre Douglas was named backup for the three NASA astronauts. [53] Glover would become the first person of color, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to travel around the Moon. Hansen and Gibbons, both from Canada, were selected by the Canadian Space Agency as part of a 2020 treaty [54] between the United States and Canada that facilitated their participation in the Artemis program. [51] [55] [56]

Mission

Diagram showing the planned objectives of the Artemis II mission Artemis 2 map march 2023.jpg
Diagram showing the planned objectives of the Artemis II mission

The Artemis II mission plan is to send four astronauts in the first crewed Orion spacecraft into a lunar flyby using the Block 1 variant of the Space Launch System. The mission profile is a multi-trans-lunar injection (MTLI), or multiple departure burns, and includes a free-return trajectory from the Moon. The Orion spacecraft will be sent to a high Earth orbit with a period of roughly 24 hours. During this time the crew will perform various checkouts of the spacecraft's life support systems as well as an in-space rendezvous and proximity operations demonstration using the spent Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) as a target. When Orion reaches perigee once again, it will fire its main engine to complete the TLI maneuver, which will send it onto a lunar free-return trajectory, before returning to Earth. [5] [57]

Optical communications

Optical Communications System modules on the Orion spacecraft O2O optical communications modules on the Orion Spacecraft.png
Optical Communications System modules on the Orion spacecraft

Artemis II will test and demonstrate optical communications to and from Earth using the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O). [58] The O2O hardware will be integrated into the Orion spacecraft and includes an optical module (a 4-inch [100 mm] telescope and two gimbals), a modem and control electronics. [58] O2O will communicate with ground stations in California and New Mexico. [58] The test device will send data to Earth with a downlink rate of up to 260 megabits per second. [59]

Mission overview

The crew of Artemis II training inside an Orion mock-up in January 2025 The Artemis II crew completing Post Insertion and Deorbit Preparation training (jsc2025e004086).jpg
The crew of Artemis II training inside an Orion mock-up in January 2025

Artemis II's trajectory can be divided into several key phases, over an approximately ten-day trip: [60] [61]

Launch

The mission will launch aboard a Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1 rocket from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B. The four main engines ignite approximately seven seconds before liftoff, throttling to full power, and if no anomalies are detected, the solid rocket boosters ignite at T‑0, providing the majority of thrust for the first two minutes. Booster separation occurs at roughly 3,100 miles per hour (5,000 km/h) and an altitude of 30 miles (48 km). Wiseman will monitor the launch from the left seat, although the flight is fully automated unless intervention is required, which would likely be to issue an abort command. The core stage burns for about eight minutes before separation, leaving Orion in an highly elliptical orbit with an apogee of roughly 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi), nearly five times higher than the International Space Station. The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) does not fire during the initial ascent. [62]

Earth orbit and systems checkout

Right after main-engine cutoff Koch and Hansen will unstrap from their seats and set up and test essential life support systems on the spacecraft including the water dispenser, firefighting masks, and toilet systems. Once all systems are checked out, the ICPS will ignite at apogee, about 50 minutes after liftoff to raise Orion's perigee. Without this burn, the spacecraft will return to Earth. [62]

When the spacecraft reaches this new perigee, it will execute a 15‑minute burn to increase the next apogee to 38,000 nautical miles (70,000 km; 44,000 mi), establishing a 23.5‑hour high Earth orbit. [62]

After this burn, which will expend nearly all of the fuel in the ICPS, Glover will move into the left seat at the primary controls of Orion and will conduct a series of "proximity operations" with the ICPS, performing maneuvering and close formation flying to evaluate Orion's handling qualities using the Cooper–Harper rating scale. After these tests, Orion will back away and the ICPS will burn its engines to place it into a graveyard orbit, as Orion enters automated control. [62] At this time, the ICPS will also deploy its rideshare CubeSats. [63]

Following these operations, the crew converts the cabin from launch to spaceflight configuration, sets up exercise equipment, conducts stress tests of life-support systems through physical activity and has a meal. [62]

The first sleep period of the mission is broken into two four-hour periods, interrupted by the need to monitor a burn by the European Service Module to raise the spacecraft's perigee. After this burn, NASA managers will review the performance of the spacecraft before authorizing the final translunar injection (TLI) burn. [62]

Translunar injection

After completing high-Earth orbit operations and system verification, Orion performs a TLI burn using its Service Module, placing the spacecraft on a trajectory toward the Moon. This precise maneuver sets Orion on a free-return trajectory, allowing it to loop around the Moon before returning to Earth. [62]

Lunar flyby

Orion will fly around the Moon at a closest approach of approximately 4,047 miles (6,513 km) from the far-side lunar surface. The outbound journey and lunar flyby are expected to take about four days, during which the crew will monitor spacecraft systems, gather data on the effects of deep space travel, and perform trajectory correction burns as needed. During the flyby, Orion will use the Moon's gravity to assist its return to Earth on a free-return trajectory. NASA anticipates performing further trajectory correction burns during the four-day return flight to ensure accurate Earth re-entry. [63]

Re-entry and splashdown

Orion will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at approximately 25,000 miles per hour (40,000 km/h), the fastest reentry ever attempted. [64] The spacecraft will perform a "skip reentry", briefly dipping into the upper atmosphere to use its lift to bounce back outward, dissipating energy and enabling a more precise landing. [65] Splashdown is planned in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, where the U.S. Navy will recover the crew and spacecraft using a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. The mission is expected to last about 10 days from launch to splashdown.

News conference

On January 16, 2026, NASA announced in a Mission Overview news conference that the launch is expected to last ten days; additionally, they announced that the Artemis II rocket would roll out to the Kennedy Space Center the following day (January 17) and would take about 8-10 hours to set up the rocket on the launchpad. The journey to the moon is expected to last three days, and astronauts will spend one day in lunar observation on the Far side of the Moon (with some parts of the Far side having never been seen before). The crew will take time to observe the Far side of the Moon, which cannot be seen by any human on Earth. Depending on when the mission launches, it is possible that the astronauts may immediately see parts of the Moon never seen before, as previous missions (such as Apollo) always saw the Near side of the Moon upon their respective launches. The astronauts have been trained to observe the Far side of the Moon regardless of lighting at the time of the mission. [66]

NASA will also fly a payload titled AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) which can mimic individual astronaut organs, with Artemis II marking the first time that AVATAR is tested outside of the International Space Station and Van Allen Belt. Crew health for this mission is critical for missions in Deep Space in the future. NASA will also launch a new payload titled ARCHAR (Artemis Research for Crew Health And Readiness); for ARCHAR, crew members will wear movement and sleep monitors before, during, and after the mission to study real-time health and behavioral information for crew members so scientists can study sleep patterns and overall health performance. Scientists will also test immune biomarkers, with crew providing saliva samples before, during and after the mission to test their immune system and how they are affected by radiation, isolation, and the distance away from Earth during Deep Space flight. This mission will also allow astronauts and scientists to understand space weather that will be faced in future missions as well as how humans can survive and sustain themselves in space. [66]

Upon completion of the mission, the astronauts will make a three-day journey back to Earth. They are slated to land on the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, where the U.S. Navy will conduct assessments to ensure a safe recovery of the astronauts. Once they are safely removed from Orion, the capsule will be towed by the Navy and the astronauts will be sent to a medical center for evaluation. Once the astronauts are safely back on Earth, they will be tested in an "obstacle course" to see how quickly they can function during a gravity spacewalk; the astronauts will also perform a simulated spacewalk to investigate how quickly they can adjust to a change of gravity for the landing on Moon and possible mission to Mars. NASA has said that, if a launch is unable to occur, they will conduct further tests that are dependent on the reason for why the launch (or multiple launches) were scrubbed. In the event of an unexpected issue, NASA is willing to make course-corrections for the Artemis III mission, slated for mid-2027; if the mission is fully successful, NASA will continue further Artemis missions to the Moon and will consider the possibility of a crewed launch to Mars, a feat that has, to date, never been accomplished before by humans. [66]

CubeSat secondary payloads

CubeSats Integration Artemis II Payload Integration (KSC-20250917-PH-FMX02 0017).jpg
CubeSats Integration

NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) originally sought proposals in 2019 from U.S. institutions and companies to fly CubeSat missions as secondary payloads aboard the SLS on the Artemis II mission. [67] [68] NASA planned to accept 6-unit (12 kg, 26 lb) and 12-unit (20 kg, 44 lb) CubeSats, [69] which would be mounted on the inside of the stage adapter ring between the SLS upper stage and the Orion spacecraft, deploying after Orion separated into high Earth orbit. [69] Although selections were initially expected by February 2020, [67] all secondary payloads were removed from the mission in October 2021. [70]

In September 2024, NASA announced that it would fly five CubeSats from international partners aboard the Artemis II mission. The payloads, selected from nations that are signatories to the Artemis Accords, are intended to advance global scientific and technological research while broadening international access to deep space. [71]

The first CubeSat selected was Germany's TACHELES , which will examine the impact of space conditions on electrical components used in lunar vehicles. [72] In May 2025, NASA announced that it had selected the ATENEA satellite from Argentina's National Space Activities Commission to join the mission, with goals to study radiation shielding, map the surrounding radiation environment, gather GPS data for mission planning, and test a long-distance communication system. CubeSats from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and the Saudi Space Agency are also slated to fly, with all five payloads bound for high Earth orbit. [73]

Public outreach

Souvenir boarding pass bearing a name which will fly around the Moon on the Artemis II mission Artemis 2 boarding pass.jpg
Souvenir boarding pass bearing a name which will fly around the Moon on the Artemis II mission

To raise public awareness, NASA provided a website for members of the public to obtain a digital souvenir boarding pass for the mission. Before January 21, 2026, people could enter their names online which will be stored on an SD card inside the Orion spacecraft when it flies around the Moon. The website produces a "boarding pass" image for downloading bearing the name or text entered by the website visitor. [74]

Similar missions

In December 1968, the Apollo 8 mission, crewed by astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders, flew their command and service module beyond low Earth orbit and completed ten orbits of the Moon. Similar to the planned Artemis II mission in that it was crewed and did not land, it differed by being placed into orbit. [75] Apollo 13 (1970) was the only Apollo mission, and only crewed spaceflight to date, that flew past the Moon by a free-return trajectory.

See also

References

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  39. ↑ Berger, Eric (September 23, 2025). "NASA targeting early February for Artemis II mission to the Moon". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  40. ↑ Wheeler, Robin (2009). "Launch Windows Essay". NASA.
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