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Artemis II Live — NASA Moon Mission 2026
Real-time mission tracker · first crewed lunar flyby since 1972 · Launch April 1, 2026
Beyond Earth's magnetosphere, the Artemis II crew is exposed to solar radiation. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can produce dangerous radiation bursts. NASA and NOAA monitor space weather 24/7 during the mission.
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission launches on April 1, 2026 at 6:24 PM EDT from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Four astronauts will fly around the Moon in a 10-day figure-eight trajectory, coming within 4,047 miles of the lunar surface before returning to Earth. This is a critical test flight to validate all crewed systems in deep space before attempting a lunar landing on Artemis III.
The four-person crew consists of Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA), Pilot Victor Glover (NASA), Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency). This crew makes history: Victor Glover will be the first person of color to travel beyond low Earth orbit, Christina Koch will be the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen will be the first Canadian and first non-American to fly beyond low Earth orbit.
The Artemis II mission lasts approximately 10 days from launch to splashdown. The crew will spend about 2 days in Earth orbit conducting systems checks, then fire their engines for trans-lunar injection. They'll coast to the Moon over 3–4 days, perform a close flyby of the lunar far side at about 4,047 miles altitude, then spend 3–4 days returning to Earth before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
No, Artemis II will not land on the Moon. It is a lunar flyby mission using a free-return figure-eight trajectory. The spacecraft will fly around the far side of the Moon at a closest approach of approximately 4,047 miles (6,513 km) and use the Moon's gravity to return to Earth. The first Artemis landing mission will be Artemis III, currently targeting 2027. Artemis II's primary purpose is to test all crewed systems in deep space before attempting a landing.
Orion is NASA's deep-space crew vehicle designed to carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit. The Artemis II Orion capsule is named "Integrity" and can support 4 astronauts for up to 21 days. It features a European Service Module (built by ESA/Airbus) that provides propulsion, power via solar arrays, and life support. Its AVCOAT heat shield — the largest ever built at 16.5 feet in diameter — protects the crew during re-entry at speeds up to 25,000 mph.
The Space Launch System is NASA's super-heavy-lift rocket, the most powerful ever flown. The SLS Block 1 configuration used for Artemis II stands 322 feet tall, generates 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff (15% more than the Saturn V), and can deliver 77 metric tons to low Earth orbit. It uses four RS-25 engines (upgraded Space Shuttle main engines) and two five-segment solid rocket boosters.
Artemis II's Orion spacecraft will travel approximately 400,000+ kilometers from Earth, passing behind the Moon's far side. This is expected to break the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans — 248,655 miles (400,171 km). The crew will be farther from home than any human has ever been.
A free-return trajectory is a flight path that uses the Moon's gravity to naturally swing the spacecraft back toward Earth without requiring additional engine burns. If the spacecraft's propulsion system fails after trans-lunar injection, the crew will still safely return to Earth — the Moon's gravitational pull acts as a natural slingshot. This was the same type of trajectory used by Apollo 13 after its oxygen tank explosion in 1970, which saved the crew's lives.
Unlike astronauts on the International Space Station who are partially shielded by Earth's magnetic field, the Artemis II crew will travel beyond this protective magnetosphere into deep space where they are exposed to solar radiation. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can produce dangerous radiation bursts. NASA and NOAA provide 24/7 real-time space weather monitoring during the mission, and the crew can shelter in the most shielded areas of Orion if a solar event occurs.
NASA provides live coverage of the Artemis II launch on NASA TV (nasa.gov/nasatv), the NASA app, and NASA's YouTube channel. Coverage typically begins several hours before launch with commentary, crew suit-up, and the journey to the launch pad. This tracker page also embeds the NASA TV live stream above. For the best experience, bookmark this page and return for real-time mission tracking, trajectory visualization, and news updates throughout the 10-day mission.