Archive · 14 Jan 2026
NASA Announces Artemis II Moon Mission
NASA has announced that four astronauts will go on a big adventure to the Moon.
This is the first time in over 50 years that people will travel to the Moon.
The mission is called Artemis II and it will launch on February 6, 2024.
The astronauts will fly close to the Moon but won't land on it.
They will test their spaceship to make sure everything works before they come back to Earth.
The spaceship is called Orion and it will be launched by a big rocket called SLS.
The astronauts will spend 10 days in space.
If the weather or other things don't let them launch on February 6, they have other dates to try.
NASA's Artemis II mission will launch on February 6, 2024, with a crew of four astronauts.
This will be the first manned mission to the Moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972.
The mission will involve a 10-day journey around the Moon with a close flyby, but no landing.
The astronauts will test the Orion spacecraft's life support systems and other critical functions.
Backup launch dates are available from January 31 to February 14, 2024, with additional dates being considered.
- Who
- NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen
- What
- Artemis II mission, a manned lunar flyby
- When
- February 6, 2024 (with backup dates)
- Where
- Launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Why
- To return humans to lunar vicinity and test Orion spacecraft systems
- Launch Date
- February 6, 2024 (with backup dates)
- Launch Window
- January 31 to February 14, 2024
- Astronauts
- Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen
- Mission Duration
- 10 days
- Launch Site
- Cape Canaveral
- Spacecraft
- Orion
- Rocket System
- Space Launch System (SLS)