Artemis 2 is at the moment set to launch in late 2024. Throughout the mission, the Orion crew capsule, seen on this illustration finishing up a trans-lunar injection, will convey people again to the Moon’s neighborhood for the primary time in additional than 50 years.
NASA
Editor’s word: This story was initially printed on April 6, 2023, and was up to date on Jan. 29, 2026, to replicate the newest developments within the Artemis program.
With the success of NASA’s uncrewed Artemis 1 lunar-orbital mission in late 2022, and with preparations underway for a crewed Moon touchdown throughout Artemis 3 in 2027, the following main step within the Artemis program is coming into the ultimate stretch: the Artemis 2 lunar flyby, which is able to ship a four-person crew on a 10-day journey across the Moon, is at the moment focusing on a launch as early as February 6, 2026. This follows a sequence of delays introduced in 2024 and 2025.
In April 2023, NASA and the Canadian House Company announced the 4 Artemis 2 astronauts who will spearhead humanity’s first journey to the Moon in additional than 50 years. The Artemis 2 crew members are:
Commander Reid Wiseman — A former chief of NASA’s Astronaut Workplace, Wiseman will likely be making his second flight to house. He was on Expedition 41 to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014.
Pilot Victor Glover — The pilot of the primary operational SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to the ISS in 2020, Glover additionally served as flight engineer for Expedition 64.
Mission Specialist Christina Koch — Spending 328 days aboard the ISS, Koch at the moment holds the record for longest single spaceflight by a lady.
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — A former fighter pilot and Canadian House Company (CSA) astronaut who has led astronaut coaching for the CSA and NASA for a number of years, Hansen will likely be embarking on his first spaceflight.
NASA TV
However earlier than Artemis 2 launches, there’s loads to perform.
Artemis 2: Making ready for humanity’s return to the Moon
Artemis 1 labored just about to spec, although the Orion spacecraft’s warmth defend ablated in another way from predictions, with items of fabric falling off the defend, forsaking gaps. An impartial evaluate from a staff of engineers learning the phenomenon introduced their findings in December 2024. They discovered that as a result of entry method used throughout Artemis 1, surprising temperature fluctuations triggered fuel to construct up beneath the warmth defend, constructing stress, and ultimately cracking the defend. The impartial evaluate decided that had a crew been onboard, they might have remained secure and that adjusting the entry method for Artemis 2 can be enough. On Thursday, Jan. 8, 2025, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman mentioned he had “full confidence” within the Orion warmth defend, in response to reporting from Ars Technica.
The primary launch of the House Launch System (SLS) — the world’s strongest rocket — additionally broken the launchpad, requiring modifications to blast shields, instrumentation, and extra. And there have been just a few capsule energy switches that operated with out command.
Moreover, technical hurdles found in 2023, 2024, and 2025 required intervention. Engineers recognized and stuck a design flaw within the life assist system circuits — together with people who management the elimination of exhaled carbon dioxide from the cabin. In addition they addressed deficiencies within the craft’s electrical system that would seem if a launch have been aborted mid-ascent, during which the Crew Module’s battery won’t be capable of energy the craft all the way in which to splashdown. Extra not too long ago, in early 2026, technicians changed a misshapen cable within the flight termination system (a required security system designed to terminate flight if the rocket turns into uncontrollable or erratic) and stuck leaking floor techniques liable for loading in Orion’s respiratory air, in addition to a malfunctioning valve associated to pressurizing Orion’s hatch found throughout a December 2025 countdown take a look at.
Avionics used throughout Artemis 1 have already been rehabbed to be used in Artemis 2. The Orion capsule’s warmth defend was mated to the craft in June 2023. Then the European House Company service module was linked to the Orion module in October 2023. The SLS core stage, full with its 4 RS-25 engines, together with the boosters, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in July 2024.
The House Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule at the moment are present process remaining integration on the Automobile Meeting Constructing. The following main milestone is the rollout to Launch Pad 39B through the CT-2 crawler-transporter, adopted by a “moist gown rehearsal” the place 700,000 gallons of propellant will likely be loaded for a mock countdown.
In the meantime, NASA and Navy personnel will proceed prepping for an Artemis 2 splashdown that includes people, not simply sensor-laden mannequins.
The Artemis crew started their coaching in June 2023.
Artemis 2 mission profile: A visit to the Moon
Artemis 2 is at the moment slated to launch in February 2026 with particular alternatives on Feb. 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11. If these are missed, further home windows open in March and April. Nevertheless, there’s all the time an opportunity that points crop up that pressure delays.
After Artemis 2 launches and earlier than the crew units course for the Moon, the crew will spend a day or so finishing up techniques checks in Earth orbit. Throughout this stage, the crew will even take a look at their means to rendezvous with the SLS’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, which is able to function precious follow for future docking maneuvers wanted in later Artemis missions. The spacecraft’s orbit round Earth will likely be extremely elliptical, ranging in altitude from about 115 miles (185 kilometers) to 46,000 miles (74,000 km) above Earth’s floor.
As soon as they obtain approval to set course for the Moon, the 4 members of the Artemis 2 crew will embark on humanity’s first journey to the Moon’s neighborhood since 1972.
Artemis 2 won’t land on or orbit the Moon, however will as a substitute use a number of lunar-destination burns and course corrections to attain a so-called free-return trajectory. This strategy will convey the craft to inside about 6,400 miles (10,000 km) of the Moon’s farside — and permit it to return to Earth even when the craft experiences an engine failure. The free-return trajectory will type a figure-eight round Earth and the Moon, and the Artemis 2 mission is anticipated to final about 10 days.
RELATED: How Artemis 2 will fly across the Moon
Throughout Artemis 2, simply one of many techniques that the astronauts will take a look at is a brand new, high-definition optical communication suite that makes use of lasers to ship information and movies to Earth. And all through all the mission, the crew intends to check all techniques and subsystems over quite a lot of totally different circumstances.
NASA has not but introduced particular goals for lunar science.
Artemis 3 mission profile
Whereas Artemis 2 is the speedy focus, planning and getting ready for the Artemis 3 crewed touchdown, which is able to doubtless happen within the Moon’s South Pole area, additionally strikes ahead. Following a December 2025 government order from President Trump to return Individuals to the Moon earlier than the tip of his second time period, the mission is now focused for mid-2027.
Artemis 3 goals to land a crew together with the primary lady and the primary particular person of shade on the Moon by using SpaceX’s large Starship launch automobile as a human touchdown system (HLS). Nevertheless, in October 2025, performing Administrator Sean Duffy introduced throughout an interview on CNBC that NASA would reopen the contract, stating SpaceX was “behind.” NASA has already awarded a contract to Blue Origin to develop a further lunar lander supposed for future Artemis missions.
The plan for Artemis 3 is that the Orion crew capsule will take the astronauts to the Moon, whereas an uncrewed Starship launches to Earth orbit, refuels at an orbiting depot, then heads to the Moon. The Artemis 3 crew will then switch from Orion to Starship, land on and discover the lunar floor, and return through Starship to Orion for the flight house. NASA has introduced candidate touchdown websites for Artemis 3 within the Moon’s South Pole area, and dealing teams are contemplating the relative deserves of every potential website.
SpaceX
However 2026 is ready to be a pivotal 12 months for Starship, as SpaceX will try its first orbital propellant transfers — a functionality by no means earlier than demonstrated, and one which will likely be essential to gasoline the depot and subsequently Starship HLS. An uncrewed lunar touchdown is one other prerequisite earlier than the crewed Artemis 3 mission.
In October 2024, Axiom House revealed the flight design for its new lunar house fits — an enchancment over the cumbersome Apollo Moon-walking fits. Past improved flexibility and insulation, the so-called Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Models (or AxEMUs) embrace just a few different improvements, akin to a rear-entry hatch that permits the astronaut to placed on their very own swimsuit with out assist, and larger helmets outfitted with a digicam and lights.
The Artemis program presses ahead
Further Artemis developments embrace the creation of a brand new Moon to Mars Program Workplace at NASA Headquarters in March 2023. The workplace, NASA said in a launch, will focus “on {hardware} growth, mission integration, and threat administration capabilities…” for Orion, SLS, the lunar lander and extra, as effectively planning for Gateway and future missions to Mars. In December 2025, Jared Isaacman was confirmed as the brand new NASA administrator, taking up management as this system inches nearer to launch.
Within the midst of quite a few price range woes and uncertainty at NASA, Artemis has continued to obtain bipartisan assist. When President Trump launched his proposed 2026 price range in the summertime of 2025, it promised to “allow an everlasting Artemis marketing campaign.” Regardless of that promise, the proposed price range contained 24 % cuts to NASA at giant and 47 % cuts to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. These cuts included the cancellation of each the spacecraft Orion and the House Launch System after Artemis 4 and a shift in direction of industrial launch suppliers.
That price range proposal was rejected by each side of the aisle in Congress and the science neighborhood. When Trump signed the “One Large Stunning Invoice” into legislation on July 4, an modification to the laws launched by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) offered NASA with further funding past the usual fiscal 12 months 2025 price range. This more money — round $9.9 billion — was designated to assist applications like Artemis, the House Launch System (SLS), and Orion by means of 2032. Then, on Jan. 15, 2026, the Senate handed an appropriations invoice totally funding NASA with a $24.4 billion price range, rejecting the cuts proposed by President Trump
