NASA could launch its first crewed mission to the Moon in more than five decades as early as the first week of February. The Artemis II mission is expected to last around 10 days and will carry astronauts farther into space than any humans have traveled before.
The mission is a key step toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface, an achievement last accomplished during the Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s. NASA plans to launch Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The agency’s official launch window opens on 6 February and extends into the spring, with a final date set only after inspections of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and ground support systems are complete.
Artemis II will carry a crew of four: NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission will mark the first crewed flight of the SLS rocket and Orion capsule.
Once in orbit, the astronauts will test Orion’s handling, practising manual steering and navigation to prepare for future lunar landings. They will travel to a point thousands of kilometers beyond the Moon to evaluate life-support, propulsion, power, and navigation systems. During the mission, the crew will also serve as medical test subjects, sending back data and images from deep space.
The cabin will be small and weightless, with radiation levels higher than those on the International Space Station but within safe limits. Upon returning to Earth, the astronauts will experience a re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States.
Artemis II will not land on the Moon. That milestone is reserved for Artemis III, currently targeted for no earlier than 2027, though some experts expect it may occur in 2028. The lunar lander has not yet been finalized, with potential designs coming from SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin. New spacesuits are also in development by U.S. company Axiom. Artemis III aims to take astronauts to the Moon’s south pole, laying the foundation for a sustained human presence on the Moon. Future missions, including Artemis IV and V, will focus on building the Gateway space station and expanding human activity on and around the Moon.
The last crewed Moon mission was Apollo 17, which landed in December 1972. A total of 24 astronauts have traveled to the Moon, with 12 walking on its surface. While Apollo missions were driven by geopolitical competition with the Soviet Union, Artemis focuses on long-term exploration, advanced technology, and international partnerships.
Other countries are also planning Moon missions in the 2030s. European and Japanese astronauts are expected to join later Artemis flights. China aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2030. Russia has discussed building a small base, and India is targeting crewed lunar missions around 2040, following the success of Chandrayaan 3.
