In April 2026, people went near the Moon again for the first time in more than 50 years. NASA’s Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew had four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen. They flew in the Orion spacecraft on NASA’s powerful SLS rocket. (nasa.gov)
Artemis II did not land on the Moon. It was a test flight around the Moon and back to Earth. The trip lasted about 10 days. NASA used this mission to test SLS and Orion with astronauts on board for the first time and to prepare for future deep-space missions. The flight path also used a “free-return” route, so the spacecraft could swing around the Moon and come back toward Earth naturally. (nasa.gov)
The mission gave the crew a very special view. On April 6, 2026, the astronauts made a seven-hour flyby of the Moon. They took pictures of the Moon’s far side and even captured an in-space solar eclipse. Jeremy Hansen also made history as the first Canadian to go on a mission around the Moon. For language learners, one important point is this: Artemis II was not a moon landing, but it was still a huge moment in space history. (nasa.gov)
The mission ended on April 10, 2026, when Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 5:07 p.m. PDT. At its farthest point, the crew was 252,756 miles from Earth. NASA called Artemis II a record-setting mission, and it became a big step toward future human missions to the Moon. After half a century, humanity finally returned to the Moon’s neighborhood. That is why Artemis II captured the world’s attention. (nasa.gov)
