Artemis 2: First Crewed Moon Mission in 53 Years (April 2026)

Artemis 2, launched April 1, 2026, was the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — a gap of 53 years. The mission was a free-return lunar flyby (no landing) aboard the Orion capsule named *Integrity*, launched on the Space Launch System (SLS) from Kennedy Space Center. ## Crew - **Reid Wiseman** — Commander (US Navy, NASA) - **Victor Glover** — Pilot (first Black astronaut on a lunar mission) - **Christina Koch** — Mission Specialist (holds record for longest single spaceflight by a woman) - **Jeremy Hansen** — Mission Specialist (first Canadian on a lunar mission, first non-American in deep space) ## Mission Profile The 10-day mission (April 1-10) followed a free-return trajectory — a figure-eight path around the Moon that uses lunar gravity to return the spacecraft to Earth without requiring an engine burn. The crew reached approximately 252,000 miles from Earth, setting a new human distance record (surpassing Apollo 13's ~248,655 miles). ## Notable Events The mission succeeded end-to-end but included several minor in-flight anomalies that received limited live coverage: a malfunctioning toilet system, a crew member getting locked out of their Microsoft Outlook email, and a brief flight termination system sensor scare that was resolved without intervention. The emotional centerpiece: the crew proposed naming two previously uncharted craters visible from their flyby — **Integrity** (after the capsule) and **Carroll** (after Commander Wiseman's wife Carroll, who passed away in 2020). ## Context in the Artemis Program Artemis 2 follows the uncrewed Artemis 1 test flight (November 2022). Artemis 3, planned for 2027, will be the first crewed lunar landing since 1972, using SpaceX's Starship as the landing vehicle. The Artemis program aims to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon, including the planned Lunar Gateway space station.