National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Schedules Artemis 2 Crewed Lunar Mission for February 2026

Key facts

• The Artemis 2 crewed mission is scheduled to launch on February 5, 2026, carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a historic lunar flyby.
• The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which produces 8.8 million pounds of thrust, will launch the mission from the Kennedy Space Center.
• The Orion spacecraft will carry the crew on a 10-day mission following a free-return lunar trajectory that passes 5,000+ nautical miles beyond the lunar far side.
• The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
• Mission objectives include the validation of Orion life support systems and the execution of biomedical research investigating radiation exposure and immune system function.
• The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) will execute translunar injection maneuvers to propel the spacecraft toward the lunar vicinity.