In April 2026, Artemis II became the first mission with astronauts to travel around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA’s Orion spacecraft launched on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the huge SLS rocket. The flight was planned as a 10-day test mission, not a Moon landing, but it marked a major return to deep space for humans. (nasa.gov)

The four astronauts were Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. Their crew was historic in several ways. Koch was part of the first woman on a lunar mission, Glover was part of the first person of color on a lunar mission, and Hansen became the first Canadian and first non-American to take part in a lunar mission. Artemis II showed that modern Moon exploration is becoming more international and more inclusive than the Apollo era. (nasa.gov)

The mission’s main goal was to test the Orion spacecraft with people inside it. During the flight, the crew checked life-support systems, tested navigation, and even took manual control of Orion during important demonstrations. On April 6, the astronauts passed the old record for the farthest distance humans had ever traveled from Earth, first beating Apollo 13’s record and later reaching 252,756 miles from home at their farthest point. They also flew about 4,067 miles above the Moon at closest approach and captured thousands of images, including beautiful views of Earthrise, Earthset, and a solar eclipse. (nasa.gov)

On April 10, Orion safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. That safe return may be the most important result of all. Artemis II proved that NASA and its partners can send astronauts beyond Earth orbit and bring them home again. More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, humans have started the journey back to the Moon—and this time, the story is only beginning. (nasa.gov)