NASA successfully launched the Artemis II mission on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center, sending four astronauts on a crewed lunar flyby mission. This marks the first human mission around the Moon in over 50 years, aimed at testing systems for future lunar landings.

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• Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center carrying four astronauts on a historic lunar mission.
• It is the first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years since the Apollo era.
• The mission uses the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule.
• The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
• It is the most diverse lunar crew, including the first woman, person of color, and non-US astronaut.
• The spacecraft will follow a free-return trajectory around the Moon and return to Earth.
• The mission will last less than 10 days without landing on the lunar surface.
• The objective is to test systems and readiness for future human Moon landings.
• Astronauts reached Earth orbit before heading toward the Moon after initial flight phase.
• The mission marks a major step in NASA’s Artemis program to expand human presence in space.