NASA readying for crewed Artemis II moon flight
July 30 (UPI) -- NASA is preparing for its April 2026 Artemis II 10-day mission that will send a crew of four around the moon to prepare for future crewed moon landings.
The Artemis II mission will demonstrate a variety of capabilities that are needed to complete deep-space missions, including those to the moon and Mars, the space agency said.
The Artemis II crew is comprised of mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
Hansen is from the Canadian Space Agency and will join the three NASA astronauts to make the mission an international endeavor.
The Artemis II mission will confirm all of the spacecraft's systems and equipment will work as intended while supporting a crew of four in deep space.
The mission also enables long-term exploration and science missions on the moon's surface.
A Space Launch System super-heavy-lift rocket will launch an Orion spacecraft and its crew into space for the 10-day mission.
Orion's European-built service module enables the spacecraft to break away from Earth's orbit and reach the moon by using an injection burn.
The mission will carry the spacecraft and crew on a figure-eight course extending more than 230,000 miles from Earth and 4,600 miles beyond the moon.
It will take four days to go beyond the moon and another four days to return to Earth.
A prior uncrewed Artemis I mission was launched in November 2022 and orbited the moon.
It was NASA's first moon mission since the space agency cancelled its Apollo program in December 1972.
NASA's Artemis II crew discuss moon mission
The Artemis II astronauts give a shout out to the Crew 11 mission during a press conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 30, 2025. Left to right, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch, Pilot Victor Glover and Commander Reid Wiseman. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
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