The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is taking a significant step toward returning humans to the Moon.
This weekend, the agency began rolling its colossal Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, setting the stage for the historic Artemis II mission.
The mission is scheduled to launch on February 6, 2026. This will be the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
It will last a 10-day flight with four astronauts, including NASA’s Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist) and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The most important point to consider is that Artemis II will not land on the Moon. Rather, it is a critical test flight to authenticate the spacecraft’s systems with a crew on board.
After launch, Orion will make two orbits around Earth before a powerful engine sends it on a trajectory around the Moon.
The capsule will orbit the far side of the Moon, possibly breaking the record for the furthest humanity has ever ventured from Earth, and then use the Moon’s gravity to propel it back to Earth, where it will land via a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
With this “free return” trajectory, the crew will be able to safely return to Earth without major engine burns after the lunar flyby.
The mission will pave the way for Artemis III by testing Orion’s communication, navigation and life support systems in deep space, with the goal of delivering astronauts near the Moon’s south pole by 2028.
