NASA Announces Artemis II Crew and Launch Date

NASA is preparing to send humans back to the vicinity of the moon for the first time in more than 50 years with the Artemis II mission. The launch is currently scheduled for March 31, 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The Artemis II Mission Profile

The 10-day Artemis II mission will carry a crew of four astronauts – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen – on a journey around the moon and back to Earth. The spacecraft, powered by the 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, will travel approximately 230,000 miles from Earth.

Historic Firsts for Space Exploration

This mission will be a landmark event in space exploration, with several astronauts set to make history. Victor Glover will become the first Black man to travel to deep space, Christina Koch will be the first woman to journey to the moon’s vicinity, and Jeremy Hansen will be the first Canadian to do so. The mission will push the boundaries of human spaceflight.

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