Artemis II

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Lunar flyby
Mission: Human Exploration

Lunar flyby Launch Complex 39B Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Artemis II is the first crewed mission as part of the Artemis program. Artemis II will send a crew of 4 - 3 Americans and 1 Canadian around the moon and return them back to Earth. The mission will test the core systems of NASA's Orion spacecraft including the critical life support system, among other systems which could not be tested during Artemis I due to the lack of crew onboard.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • March 12, 2026, 7:06 p.m.

Targeting April 1st.


Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 21, 2026, 5:35 p.m.

Delayed to NET April due to upper stage helium leak issue.


Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 16, 2026, 9:52 p.m.

Reverted back to NET March 6 EST, to be confirmed.


Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 6, 2026, 7:13 p.m.

Moved back up to NET March 3, to be confirmed (see also https://x.com/nasaspaceflight/status/2019805496836767830.)


Cosmic_Penguin • Feb. 3, 2026, 7:03 a.m.

Delayed to NET March, to be confirmed pending additional tests.


Space Launch System (SLS)

Family:
Configuration: Block 1

The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American Space Shuttle-derived heavy expendable launch vehicle. It is part of NASA's deep space exploration plans including as the main launch vehicle of the Artemis program. SLS follows the cancellation of the Constellation program, and is to replace the retired Space Shuttle.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    111.0 m
  • Diameter
    8.4 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    8.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    2628.0 T
  • Thrust
    39000.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Space Launch System (SLS)
  • Family
  • Variant
    Block 1
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Space Launch System Block 1
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $2000000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    95000.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Orion Integrity


Active Human Rated Crew On-board: 4 Crew Capacity: 4 Payload Capacity: 100 kg
Destination: Circumlunar flyby
Serial Number: 003

Orion spacecraft used for Artemis 2.

Orion Details

Crew


Gregory R. Wiseman

Spacecraft Commander - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Nov. 11, 1975
Age: 50

Victor J. Glover

Pilot - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: April 30, 1976
Age: 49

Jeremy Hansen

Mission Specialist - configurations.Country.None - ( CSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Jan. 27, 1976
Age: 50

Christina Koch

Mission Specialist - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Jan. 29, 1979
Age: 47

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA)

Administrator: Jared Isaacman Founded: 1958 Successes: 121 Failures: 20 Pending: 6

Agency Type:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

INFO WIKI

Related News

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NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment

Airflow around rockets as they travel from Earth into space can have a dramatic impact on a mission, which is why NASA used advanced simulations to provide the best possible launch conditions for the Artemis II test flight around the Moon.…

Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: NASA to roll its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2

The rollout of the 322-foot-tall rocket is anticipated to take about 12 hours after first motion. NASA hopes to launch the crewed test flight to the Moon no earlier than April 1.

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To Protect Artemis II Astronauts, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on Sun

As four astronauts travel around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II mission, they will venture beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field. The crew’s spacecraft, Orion, will carry and protect them as they journey into deep space and serves as the…

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Many Questions, Few Answers as Artemis II Targets April

NASA is on track to launch Artemis II as soon as April 1st, with daily launch opportunities through April 6th. After major changes to the Artemis program, answers have been slow to materialize.

NASA

NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Daily Agenda

About eight minutes after Artemis II lifts off, the Orion spacecraft and its crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will be in space. The appro…

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39B


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