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Artemis II, the subsequent mission in NASA’s Artemis program to discover the Moon, is scheduled to launch from Florida inside the coming weeks. The mission would be the first crewed mission to the neighborhood of the Moon since 1972, with the four-person crew anticipated to journey farther than every other human mission in spaceflight historical past.
Throughout their 10-day mission across the Moon, the crew will carry out a number of demonstrations and science experiments inside Orion. These embody communications checks, investigations into the human physique’s reactions to deep area, and research of lunar geology on the far facet of the Moon. What’s extra, the crew may have the chance to manually pilot Orion.
Artemis II is greater than a take a look at flight.
The science we accomplish throughout this pivotal mission will put together us for what’s subsequent. 🚀
From finding out how deep area impacts the human physique to training science operations close to the Moon, Artemis II lays the groundwork for returning… pic.twitter.com/zWzxN9Tmxg
— NASA Science (@NASAScience_) January 16, 2026
Artemis II’s demonstrations and science experiments
One of many first aims for the Artemis II crew will likely be to manually pilot their Orion capsule, Integrity. Shortly after Orion separation, the spacecraft will carry out a proximity operations demonstration with the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), throughout which the crew will simulate docking procedures. This can be a vital demonstration for the Artemis program that may assist plan for Artemis III and future touchdown missions, when Orion will dock with Human Touchdown System landers. The crew may have a further alternative on the sixth day of the mission to manually fly Orion.
On the primary day of the mission, the crew will consider life help techniques on Integrity and train utilizing onboard exercise tools. On future long-duration missions to the Moon, crews might want to recurrently train to forestall bone density deterioration attributable to microgravity, in addition to different well being considerations.
After spending roughly 24-hours in an Earth orbit, Integrity will carry out a trans-lunar injection burn, sending the spacecraft and the crew on a free-return trajectory towards the Moon. The preliminary checks the Artemis II crew performs in the course of the first 24 hours of the mission will likely be important for guaranteeing Integrity‘s potential to finish the mission and can inform future crewed Artemis missions.
Infographic describing the proximity operations demonstration the Artemis II crew will carry out. (Credit score: NASA)
On the third day of the mission, whereas en path to the Moon, a CPR demonstration will likely be performed, in addition to a take a look at of the crew’s spacesuits. The astronauts will take a look at Orion’s communications with the Deep Area Community the identical day, confirming that Orion can talk with floor groups from outdoors of high-Earth orbit.
One other experiment on the eighth day will assess the spacecraft’s radiation shielding, a vital onboard system that protects the crew from the cruel radiation atmosphere outdoors low- and medium-Earth orbits.
As people journey farther from Earth than ever earlier than, NASA is finding out the consequences of deep-space journey on the human physique. With vital developments in science and expertise because the Apollo missions, Artemis II will allow a deeper understanding of journey past the Van Allen radiation belts. To this finish, NASA has a set of science experiments onboard Orion that the crew will conduct over the course of their 10-day mission.
One in all these experiments is the Artemis Analysis for Crew Well being and Readiness (ARCHeR), a so-called actigraphy machine just like a wristwatch. The machine will research the astronauts’ exercise and sleep cycles. The crew will put on ARCHeR all through the mission, and it’ll ship again data to scientists on the bottom.
The ARCHer actigraphy machine (Credit score: NASA)
One other scientific experiment onboard the spacecraft is the A Digital Astronaut Tissue Analog Response (AVATAR). These organ chips are in regards to the measurement of a USB drive and can include cells derived from the Artemis astronauts’ bone marrow. AVATAR will present scientists with necessary information on the consequences of deep-space environments, similar to radiation, on human cells. Scientists will use this data to develop future healthcare practices for astronauts and even present customized well being kits for future area missions.
Since 2018, NASA has collected astronaut well being information from a number of crewed missions to the Worldwide Area Station as a part of the Spaceflight Commonplace Measures experiment. The company designed these experiments to gather samples and information to raised perceive how the physique responds to a microgravity atmosphere over prolonged durations. Artemis II has its personal department of the experiment, throughout which the crew will acquire saliva, blood, and urine samples. Different testing will embody assessments of ocular and mind well being, in addition to investigations into movement illness and steadiness.
Mini organs, MAJOR breakthroughs. 🔬
Launching @NASAArtemis II, the AVATAR investigation will look at how area impacts the human physique on the smallest scale, informing astronaut well being for future lunar missions and advancing customized drugs on Earth:…
— NASA Science (@NASAScience_) January 26, 2026
Immune Biomarkers is one other research on Artemis II that may analyze the consequences of spaceflight on the human immune system. The astronauts will present saliva samples earlier than, throughout, and after the mission. The samples collected in the course of the mission will likely be blotted onto filter paper booklets, which will likely be reconstituted on the bottom for additional research.
Artemis II may even characteristic research into lunar geology. With the crew being the primary people to see sure elements of the far facet of the Moon and the primary to see it up shut in 50 years, the astronauts will conduct a floor research utilizing images and visible descriptions, guided by geologists on the bottom. The crew has studied the lunar floor in-depth and has traveled to Moon-like analogs on Earth to raised perceive lunar geology. A chosen science management room has been arrange in Mission Management, giving the astronauts fixed suggestions and steerage throughout their experiments.
The Artemis II astronauts entered quarantine on the finish of final week in order that they don’t decide up any sickness that might delay their mission.
The official launch date will likely be confirmed after our moist gown rehearsal on the finish of the month. pic.twitter.com/9m7uxQZin3
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) January 26, 2026
The crew of Artemis II
The four-person Artemis II crew was introduced on April 3, 2023, and would be the first crew to journey past low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972. What’s extra, the crew will journey farther than any human crew has earlier than, and the primary particular person of colour, the primary girl, and the primary non-American to journey to the Moon will all be on the mission.
NASA astronaut and commander Reid Wiseman beforehand flew to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz capsule in 2014 as a part of Expedition 40/41. Wiseman spent 165 days onboard the orbital outpost, conducting two spacewalks. After returning to Earth, the previous U.S. naval take a look at pilot served as Chief of NASA’s Astronaut Workplace earlier than stepping all the way down to command Artemis II.
Like Wiseman, NASA astronaut and Artemis II pilot Victor Glover was additionally a naval take a look at pilot and has accomplished one mission to the ISS. Glover first flew to area on the SpaceX and NASA Crew-1 mission, for which he additionally served as pilot. Whereas onboard the ISS as a part of Expedition 64/65, Glover accomplished 4 spacewalks, spending over 24 hours outdoors the Station. Glover would be the first particular person of colour to fly past low-Earth orbit (LEO).
The Artemis II crew stand earlier than their SLS and Orion throughout rollout. From left to proper: Wiseman, Glover, Koch, Hansen. (Credit score: NASA/John Kraus)
The ultimate NASA astronaut on Artemis II is mission specialist Christina Koch, who flew on a Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS as a part of Expedition 59/60/61 in 2019. Koch participated within the first all-female spacewalk with fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, and would go on to interrupt the file for the longest spaceflight by a feminine astronaut at 328 days. On Artemis II, she is going to develop into the primary girl to journey past LEO and to the neighborhood of the Moon.
For Canadian Area Company (CSA) astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II will function his first journey into area. Hansen was a Royal Canadian Air Pressure captain and was beforehand CAPCOM at NASA’s Mission Management Heart in Houston.
The Artemis II backup crew consists of NASA astronaut Andre Douglas and CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons. If a problem arises with any of the first Artemis II crew forward of launch that requires their removing from the mission, Douglas and Gibbons will function the replacements.
(Lead picture: An uncrewed Orion with the Moon and Earth behind it in the course of the Artemis I mission in 2022. Credit score: NASA)
