On April 1, 2026, four astronauts will leave Earth and travel farther from our planet than any humans have since December 1972.
NASA has confirmed that the **Artemis II mission** — a nine-day crewed voyage around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft — is cleared for launch with a target of **April 1st**, and a launch window running through April 6th.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket rolls to the launch pad on March 19th. The crew enters quarantine on March 18th. All systems have polled **"go."**
After years of development, delays, and setbacks, humanity is going back to the Moon.
**The Crew**
Four astronauts will make the journey:
- 🇺🇸 **Reid Wiseman** (Mission Commander) — NASA astronaut, former International Space Station commander - 🇺🇸 **Victor Glover** (Pilot) — NASA astronaut, Marine Corps aviator - 🇺🇸 **Christina Koch** (Mission Specialist 1) — NASA astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman - 🇨🇦 **Jeremy Hansen** (Mission Specialist 2) — Canadian Space Agency astronaut, Canada's first person to travel to lunar distance
This is also historic for another reason: **Christina Koch will become the first woman** to travel to lunar distance.
**The Mission**
Artemis II is a **test flight** — the spacecraft will not land on the Moon. Instead, the mission will:
1. Launch into Earth orbit aboard the SLS rocket 2. Perform a critical engine burn to depart Earth's orbit entirely 3. Travel to the Moon, passing within **4,000 to 6,000 miles** of the lunar surface 4. Circumnavigate the Moon using a free-return trajectory 5. Return to Earth for a Pacific Ocean splashdown after nine days
Depending on the exact launch time, the crew may travel as far as **248,000 to 280,000 miles from Earth** — potentially breaking the distance record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.
**The First Crewed Mission to Lunar Distance Since 1972**
The last humans to reach lunar distance were the crew of Apollo 17 — Commander Gene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ron Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt — who launched in December 1972.
That was **53 years ago**.
In the half-century since, humans have flown to the International Space Station, lived and worked in low Earth orbit, built telescopes that peer to the edge of the universe, and launched robots to every planet in the solar system. But no human being has left low Earth orbit.
Until now.
**Why It Matters**
Artemis II isn't a landing — that's Artemis III, planned for the coming years. But Artemis II does several critical things:
- **Tests the full Orion spacecraft in deep space** with a human crew, validating all life support, navigation, and re-entry systems - **Establishes the launch and trajectory systems** for future lunar landing missions - **Demonstrates that humanity can return** to lunar distance after five decades away - **Inspires** in the way that only humans in space can inspire
For the crew — and for anyone watching — the moment of trans-lunar injection, when the rocket burns and the Earth falls behind, will be something extraordinary.
**The Road to This Point**
Getting here hasn't been easy. The Artemis programme began under NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine in 2019. Artemis I — an uncrewed test of the SLS and Orion — finally launched in November 2022 after years of delays and cost overruns. Artemis II was then pushed back multiple times due to heat shield issues discovered on the Orion capsule during the Artemis I flight, and subsequent hydrogen fuel leaks and pressurisation system problems.
Each delay was frustrating. The confirmation of an April 2026 launch date, after all of that, feels like a door finally opening.
**A New Era**
Beyond Artemis, the Moon is about to become a much busier place. NASA's Artemis programme aims to establish a sustained human presence in lunar orbit (Gateway) and on the surface. ESA's Moon Village concept is gaining momentum. China has announced crewed lunar ambitions. Commercial landers are already touching down.
But all of that future depends on what happens first: humans getting there.
April 1, 2026. The countdown is running. 🌕🚀
*Sources: NASA · The Guardian (March 13, 2026) · CBC News (March 13, 2026) · CBS News · Spaceflight Now · SpacePolicyOnline.com*
