Artemis II: Astronauts Heading Back To Moon
Good news: people are going back to lunar orbit. Artemis II is planned to fly humans around the Moon early in 2026 — possibly as soon as February. This will be the first time astronauts travel beyond low-Earth orbit in more than five decades.
The mission will use NASA’s Orion spacecraft. It won’t land. Instead, Orion will take a wide, sweeping path around the Moon. That trajectory suits Orion’s design and mass. The result: a long loop that gives the crew a sweeping view of the lunar surface and parts of the Moon few humans have ever seen.
Who’s on board? Four astronauts: Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist) from NASA, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. They’ve been running simulations, training inside Orion, and preparing for the unique conditions of a deep-space trip.
Why this matters: Artemis II is a test flight with people on board. It’s not just about the photo ops. The crew will test life-support systems, communications, navigation, and operational procedures in a real deep-space environment. Those checks are key before later missions that will try landing and building a sustained presence on the Moon.
Science and perspective will follow along. Even without a landing, the crew’s trajectory will let them observe lunar regions in fresh ways. Christina Koch said, “We could see parts of the moon that never have had human eyes laid upon them before,” and that observation work can translate into tangible science.
Artemis II is part of a bigger plan. NASA’s Artemis program aims to return Americans to the Moon and eventually establish a long-term lunar presence. Artemis I proved the systems in an uncrewed flight. Artemis II will be the first crewed test. Later missions aim to land astronauts and build out habitats and infrastructure.
Schedule caveat: dates can shift. Launch windows, hardware checks, and mission readiness all affect the final timetable. But the program is moving toward a 2026 crewed lunar flyby, marking a major step in human space exploration.
New dawn, new day, new year.
Onward to the Moon in 2026! pic.twitter.com/uU6N7eWPCM
— NASA (@NASA) January 1, 2026
They're going to the Moon! Introducing the #Artemis II astronauts:
Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid), Commander
Victor Glover (@AstroVicGlover), Pilot
Christina Koch (@Astro_Christina), Mission specialist
Jeremy Hanson (@Astro_Jeremy), Mission specialisthttps://t.co/Hy1110MOEi pic.twitter.com/SeETL5iURu— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) April 3, 2023
Early next year, humans will fly around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
Our Artemis II crew is training hard for their historic mission. Last week, they suited up to run tests inside the Orion spacecraft that they'll ride to space: https://t.co/K0dzWEWSRW pic.twitter.com/mAJyBzqDeC
— NASA (@NASA) August 5, 2025
What a view 🌓#OTD in 2022, the Orion spacecraft captured this image of the Moon during the Artemis I mission.
Soon, Artemis II will venture back around the Moon with four crew members aboard Orion. Learn more about the mission: https://t.co/JQJpvoMBrW pic.twitter.com/xWmpgo4sNm
— NASA Ames (@NASAAmes) December 5, 2025
Artemis II is a big step. It’s a crewed rehearsal around the Moon, testing systems and people together. If it launches on schedule, 2026 will be the year humans return to lunar orbit for the first time since Apollo.