When did Artemis II launch?

Artemis II launched on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 6:35 PM EDT (22:35 UTC) from Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Who is the crew of Artemis II?

The Artemis II crew is Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA), Pilot Victor Glover (NASA), Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency).

Will Artemis II land on the Moon?

No. Artemis II is a free-return lunar flyby. The crew will travel approximately 4,700 miles beyond the Moon — farther than any crewed spacecraft in history — but will not enter lunar orbit or land.

How long is the Artemis II mission?

Artemis II is approximately a 10-day mission from launch to splashdown, with splashdown planned in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California, recovered by the US Navy.

What rocket is used for Artemis II?

Artemis II uses NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1 rocket with four RS-25 engines and twin solid rocket boosters, generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. The crew capsule is the Orion spacecraft.

What records will Artemis II break?

Artemis II will break the human spaceflight distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, traveling approximately 4,700 miles beyond the Moon. Victor Glover becomes the first person of color, Christina Koch the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-US citizen to travel beyond low Earth orbit.

Where will Artemis II splash down?

Artemis II's Orion capsule is targeted to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. The US Navy will recover the crew using a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.

What comes after Artemis II?

Artemis III is planned as the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, targeting the lunar south pole region. It will use SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System.

NASA / CSA · ARTEMIS PROGRAM · LIVE DATA

ARTEMIS II

FIRST CREWED LUNAR MISSION SINCE APOLLO 17 · 1972

MISSION IN PROGRESS

MISSION ELAPSED TIME

T+00:00:00

EST. MOON ENCOUNTER

—

MISSION STATUS

CURRENT MISSION STATUS

MISSION PHASES

ARTEMIS II CREW · TAP FOR FULL BIO

COMMANDER

REID WISEMAN

NASA 🇺🇸

USN Aviator · ISS Veteran

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PILOT

VICTOR GLOVER

NASA 🇺🇸

⭐ First person of color beyond LEO

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MISSION SPECIALIST

CHRISTINA KOCH

NASA 🇺🇸

⭐ First woman to Moon's vicinity

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MISSION SPECIALIST

JEREMY HANSEN

CSA 🇨🇦

⭐ First non-US citizen beyond LEO

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MISSION PARAMETERS

MISSION DURATION

DAYS

MAX DISTANCE

270,000

MILES FROM EARTH

REENTRY SPEED

25,000

MPH

SLS LIFTOFF THRUST

8.8M

LBS OF FORCE

VEHICLE MASS

5.75M

POUNDS

SPLASHDOWN TARGET

PACIFIC

OFF SAN DIEGO · USN

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What's happening now?

Free-return trajectory?

Records being set

Heat shield issue

What comes next?

Life inside Orion

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