Archive · 9 Jan 2026
NASA's Artemis 2 Mission to Flyby Moon
NASA is planning a big trip to the Moon with four astronauts.
They won't land on the Moon, but they will fly by it, going further into space than anyone has before.
This is the first time humans will go near the Moon in over 50 years.
They will be in a special spaceship called the Orion capsule for about 10 days.
The trip is important because it will help NASA get ready for future trips where people will land on the Moon.
The astronauts will fly about 10,300 km beyond the far side of the Moon and then come back to Earth, landing in the Pacific Ocean.
This mission is like a practice run to make sure everything works before the big landing missions.
NASA's Artemis 2 mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the Moon and back to Earth.
The astronauts will not land on the Moon but will perform a lunar flyby, going further into space than anyone has before.
This will be the first human mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The mission aims to test the rocket and spacecraft systems for future lunar landings.
The astronauts will travel in the Orion capsule, reaching a point about 10,300 km beyond the far side of the Moon.
- Who
- Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch (NASA), and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency)
- What
- NASA's Artemis 2 mission, a lunar flyby
- When
- Early 2026 (targeted for February)
- Where
- From Earth to the Moon and back, with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean
- Why
- To test the rocket and spacecraft's systems for future lunar landings
- Mission Name
- Artemis 2
- Astronauts
- Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch (NASA), Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency)
- Mission Duration
- 10 days
- Launch Date
- Early 2026 (targeted for February)
- Distance from Moon
- 10,300 km (6,400 miles) beyond the far side
- Spacecraft
- Orion capsule
- Landing Location
- Pacific Ocean
- Last Human Moon Mission
- Apollo 17 in 1972