Artemis 2 will be the first crewed mission to travel near the Moon since Apollo 17 (1972), with a tentative launch as early as Feb. 5, 2026. Four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—will spend about ten days on a free-return, figure-eight trajectory aboard Orion to validate systems and run human-biology experiments. The mission could set distance records, mark historic firsts in representation, and comes amid strategic competition over lunar resources.
Artemis 2: NASA’s Crewed Mission Returns Humans Near the Moon in 2026
Artemis 2 NASA astronauts (left to right) Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen | ©Image Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, NASA is preparing to send astronauts beyond low Earth orbit. Artemis 2—currently scheduled for launch in early 2026—will carry four crew members aboard the Orion spacecraft on a roughly ten-day free-return flight around the Moon, testing systems and conducting scientific investigations that could help shape the next era of lunar exploration.
Mission Overview
Artemis 2 is the first crewed flight in NASA’s Artemis program. Launching on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Orion will enter a free-return, figure-eight trajectory that swings the spacecraft around the Moon and returns it safely to Earth. The flight’s primary objective is to validate Orion with humans aboard and to gather data on crewed operations beyond Earth orbit.
Crew
Commander: Reid Wiseman
Pilot: Victor Glover
Mission Specialists: Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen (Canada)
The four astronauts have trained intensively for several years and worked closely with the wider Artemis teams to rehearse the mission’s flight profile, procedures, and contingency responses.
Timeline and Trajectory
If the schedule holds, launch could occur as early as February 5, 2026, with alternate launch windows available through April. On liftoff, the SLS will place Orion into low Earth orbit; after systems checks, the upper stage will send Orion onto a free-return path that both slingshots the spacecraft around the Moon and provides a built-in safety return should later propulsion problems occur.
Objectives and Science
Beyond testing Orion with a crew, Artemis 2 will carry several scientific investigations, notably human biology studies that revisit questions last studied on Apollo flights. Researchers will gather new data on radiation exposure, immune-system changes, and other physiological responses to deep-space conditions—information critical to planning longer stays on the lunar surface and future missions to Mars.
Historical And Geopolitical Context
Artemis 2 represents both a technological milestone and a symbolic return to lunar distance. Depending on its exact trajectory, the mission could carry astronauts farther from Earth than any human flight since the Apollo era, potentially exceeding the distance reached by Apollo 13. The flight also marks important firsts in representation: Christina Koch will be the first woman and Victor Glover the first person of color to fly to lunar distance.
International competition—especially interest from China in the Moon’s south polar region, where water ice may be abundant—adds geopolitical urgency. U.S. officials and experts argue that access to lunar resources and dominance in cislunar space have national-security as well as scientific implications.
Source: Space.com. Original story published on GEEKSPIN.
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