Despite earlier delays, budget adjustments, and shifting priorities toward Mars, NASA is targeting a lunar mission under the Artemis program, with a potential crewed flight as early as February 5, 2026. Officially, Artemis-II is scheduled no later than April 2026, but NASA officials indicated during a press briefing at Johnson Space Center, Houston, that an earlier launch is possible if final safety checks and hardware preparations are completed on time.
Artemis-II is a 10-day mission designed to carry four astronauts around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, marking humanity’s first deep space journey in over 50 years. The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission will follow a “free-return” trajectory, sending the crew more than 9,200 kilometers beyond the Moon before safely returning to Earth, without entering lunar orbit.
The launch will utilize NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket built for deep space exploration. Assembly of the Orion capsule and SLS boosters is ongoing at Kennedy Space Center, with full integration expected in the coming weeks. NASA plans to unveil the complete Artemis-II launch stack by October, keeping a February 2026 liftoff achievable if all technical reviews and safety assessments remain on track.
Mission managers emphasized that crew safety is paramount. Artemis-II follows the uncrewed Artemis-I flight in 2022, which identified issues with Orion’s heat shield and hydrogen fueling that have since been resolved through system upgrades and enhanced procedures.
While Artemis-II is still a test mission, it is a crucial step toward Artemis-III, which aims for a lunar landing later this decade. If all goes according to plan, night launches could take place from February through April, making a historic return to the Moon’s vicinity increasingly tangible.
