Artemis 2 was the first mission to carry humans toward the moon since NASA's Apollo program ended in 1972.
Artemis 2 was the second flight of NASA's Artemis program and the first to fly astronauts aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission sent four astronauts on a looping journey around the moon and back to Earth, testing the systems that will eventually return humans to the lunar surface.
What was Artemis 2?
Artemis 2 was a crewed lunar flyby mission designed to validate Orion, SLS and the mission operations needed for future landings. While Artemis 1 successfully flew Orion around the moon without astronauts in late 2022, Artemis 2 marked the first time that humans traveled aboard the spacecraft and ventured beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years.
During the mission, astronauts traveled thousands of miles beyond the moon, experienced deep-space radiation, and tested life-support, navigation and communications systems in real flight conditions.
Artemis 2 did not land on the moon, or even go into orbit around Earth's natural satellite. Instead, it served as a critical stepping stone toward future Artemis missions that aim to put astronauts on the lunar surface later in the decade.
Who flew on Artemis 2?
NASA announced the Artemis 2 crew on April 3, 2023. The mission featured three NASA astronauts and one astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
- Reid Wiseman (NASA) – Commander
- Victor Glover (NASA) – Pilot
- Christina Koch (NASA) – Mission specialist
- Jeremy Hansen (CSA) – Mission specialist
The inclusion of a Canadian astronaut reflected Canada’s long-term partnership with NASA through the Artemis program, including its commitment to provide Canadarm3, a robotic arm for the future Gateway space station designed to orbit the moon.
That remains the case even though Gateway likely will not fly, at least not for a while: NASA recently announced that it's prioritizing a base on the lunar surface, a move that sidelines Gateway.
Meet the crew
Reid Wiseman is a U.S. Navy aviator and test pilot selected by NASA in 2009. Artemis 2 was his second spaceflight, following a 165-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014.
Victor Glover, selected by NASA in 2013, became the first Black astronaut to fly around the moon. He previously served as pilot on SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission, the first operational commercial crewed flight to the ISS.
Christina Koch is an engineer and scientist selected in 2013. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 consecutive days aboard the ISS, and took part in the first all-female spacewalk. On Artemis 2, she became the first woman to leave low Earth orbit (LEO).
Jeremy Hansen, selected by the Canadian Space Agency in 2009, is a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot. Artemis 2, his first spaceflight, made him the first non-American to travel to the vicinity of the moon.
When did Artemis 2 launch?
The Artemis 2 launch date had been set for no earlier than February 2026 from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
NASA rolled Artemis 2's SLS-Orion stack to Pad 39B from KSC's cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for testing on Jan. 17, 2026. The most important test was a wet dress rehearsal (WDR), a two-day-long practice run of the procedures leading up to launch.
NASA began the WDR on Jan. 31, and it went well until the fueling stage, when teams noticed a leak of liquid hydrogen propellant. (SLS' first-stage engines run on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.)
The Artemis 2 team fixed the issue on the pad, then conducted another WDR from Feb. 19 to Feb. 21, which they declared a success. However, shortly thereafter, NASA announced it had detected an interruption in the flow of helium, which helps pressurize fuel tanks, in the SLS upper stage.
The issue could not be fixed on the pad. So, on Feb. 25, NASA rolled the Artemis 2 stack back to the VAB for repairs. It remained there until March 20, when it went back to Pad 39B — a 4-mile (6.4 kilometers) trek that took about 12 hours atop NASA's huge crawler-transporter 2 vehicle.
SLS and Orion waited there until its next launch window opened on April 1. And that's the day that Artemis 2 lifted off, sending people beyond Earth orbit for the first time in more than 50 years.
What did Artemis 2 do?
Artemis 2 was the first full-up test of NASA's deep-space exploration system with astronauts onboard. The mission was designed to assess four major readiness areas:
- Mission planning and operations
- Spacecraft and system performance
- Crew interfaces and habitability
- Guidance, navigation and communications
The flight path
After launch, Orion stayed in Earth orbit for a day, allowing the crew and mission control to test its systems. Glover, for example, performed an extensive manual-flying trial with the capsule, piloting it to multiple close approaches with the SLS' upper stage.
The Orion capsule, which the astronauts named "Integrity," then conducted a crucial translunar injection burn, which put it on course for the moon. This path was a "free-return trajectory," which took the capsule around the moon and back to Earth using lunar gravity. NASA chose this trajectory because it's relatively low-risk, requiring no major maneuvers to bring the crew home from deep space.
Integrity flew by the moon on April 6, getting 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth at its most distant point. That was the farthest any humans had ever been from their home planet, breaking Apollo 13's record by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 km).
That loop flung Integrity back toward Earth. The capsule arrived here on April 10, splashing down as planned off the coast of San Diego.
Mission in a nutshell
- Launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B to low Earth orbit.
- A maneuver in Earth orbit to raise the perigee, or the lowest point of the orbit, roughly 40 minutes after liftoff. This was performed with the SLS Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS).
- A burn to raise the apogee, or highest part of the orbit, again using the ICPS.
- A system check at 42 hours after the mission began to ensure the orbit was correct, ranging from (112 miles) 185 km at the closest point to Earth and 1,616 miles (2,600 km) at its highest point.
- The ICPS was disposed of and Orion conducted a translunar injection to fly to the moon. The trip to the moon took four days. Orion flew about 4,070 miles (6,550 km) above the lunar surface during its flyby, which occurred on April 6, 2026.
- The spacecraft returned home. Once the spacecraft was close to Earth, the crew module separated from the European Service Module and the crew module adapter, allowing for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Did Artemis 2 land on the moon?
No. Artemis 2 was strictly a flyby mission.
The goal was to confirm that Orion, SLS, and mission operations could safely support astronauts in deep space before attempting a lunar landing on a future mission. Landing systems, surface spacesuits, and Gateway infrastructure were not required for Artemis 2.
What comes after Artemis 2?
Engineers and flight controllers are now digging into Artemis 2's data to determine readiness for the next phase of Artemis.
The next planned mission, Artemis 3, was originally supposed to land astronauts near the lunar south pole. However, in late February 2026, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced an Artemis restructuring. Artemis 3 will now stay in Earth orbit, testing rendezvous and docking operations using Orion and one or both of the Artemis program's privately developed lunar landers, SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon.
Artemis 3 is currently targeted to launch in mid-2027. If all goes well with that flight, Artemis 4 will launch in late 2028, putting astronauts down near the lunar south pole.
This timeline is speculative, of course. It depends on the successful development of at least one of the crewed lunar landers and the maturation of other critical hardware, such as spacesuits.
Joe Acaba is a former educator who has flown three times to space, including two long-duration missions on board the ISS. In February 2023, he was named chief of the NASA Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, staying in the role until November 2025. Acaba was the first person of Hispanic heritage to hold the role.
How will Artemis 2 inform future space missions for the Artemis program and Gateway?
Now that we have humans in the capsule, we're going to have a life support system that we have not yet tested out. So that of course is a big step. Of course, we want to get our crew members back safely. And then we take that and then we look at Artemis 2, and Artemis 3 and subsequent.
What's next after Artemis 2?
When we go down to the surface, we need to know how this capsule behaves. When Gateway gets (to the moon), we're going to have a mission on how do we rendezvous and dock to the Gateway. All of these are just small steps, and the order may change around a little bit.
What kind of traits will each of the astronauts bring to the Artemis 2 crew?
You can see that they're all individually very talented, but when you select a crew it's how do they work together — that is what a team is all about. (For example) Victor's a great pilot, and Jeremy's a great pilot, and they can use those piloting skills. (More generally) you can imagine living in a capsule for more than 10 days, it doesn't matter how technically capable you are, it's how are you as a human.
This Q&A is based upon an exclusive Space.com interview with Joe Acaba on April 3, 2023.
Additional resources
You can read more about the Artemis program on the NASA Artemis website. If you want a deep dive into Artemis 2, consult this European Space Agency Artemis 2 site.
Editor's note: This page was updated on April 21, 2026.
Bibliography
Canadian Space Agency. (2022, April 17). "The Artemis program: Humanity's return to the moon." https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/moon-exploration/artemis-missions.asp
European Space Agency. (n.d., accessed 2022, Aug. 17.) "Artemis II." https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion/Artemis_II
NASA. (2023, May 15.) "NASA gears up to train Artemis II crew for moon mission." https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-gears-up-to-train-artemis-ii-crew-for-moon-mission
NASA. (2021, Dec. 14). "Artemis II." https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/tag/artemis-ii/
