Artemis II is a 10-day flight test to confirm that Orion’s life-support and communication systems can sustain human life in the high-radiation environment of deep space.
Artemis II will not perform a lunar landing and will fly on a free-return trajectory between Earth and the Moon.
Artemis II moved to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B on January 17, 2026 with a launch window no earlier than February 5, 2026.
Artemis II represents the first crewed lunar flyby mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The four Artemis II astronauts will not land on the Moon during the mission.
NASA is progressing major preparations for the crewed lunar flyby mission Artemis II.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency—on a roughly 10-day mission to orbit the Moon.
The transfer of the launch system during the Artemis II rollout marks entry into the final preparation phase before advanced testing and integration.
Artemis II will test life-support systems and communications systems in deep space operational conditions.
The Artemis II rollout phase involves transferring the launch system from assembly facilities to the launch pad.
At maximum distance, the Artemis II crew will fly approximately 6,400 miles beyond the Moon’s far side.
Artemis II will demonstrate new spaceflight technologies and serve as a bridge to future lunar landing missions.
Artemis II is scheduled to launch as early as February 6 U.S. time (February 7 Japan time).
The Artemis II crew will become the first humans to venture beyond Low Earth Orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
NASA rolled the SLS rocket for Artemis II to Launch Complex 39B.
The Artemis II launch is targeting a date no earlier than February 9 at 04:20 UTC.
NASA’s SLS rocket with the Orion spacecraft rolled to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for the Artemis II Moon mission.
The Artemis II crew consists of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch.
Remote cameras are installed inside and outside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for the Artemis II roll.