Artemis II: Inside the Moon mission to fly humans further than ever
By Rebecca Morelle, Alison Francis, Paul Sargeant and the Visual Journalism team 23 March 2026 Science
For the first time in more than 50 years, humanity is returning to the Moon - travelling further from Earth than anyone has ever been before.
Four astronauts will take a trip of more than half a million miles around our celestial neighbour and back home in a mission filled with wonderment, but also danger.
Nasa’s Artemis II mission - which is scheduled to launch as soon as 1 April - will bring us stunning views of the Moon and a new understanding of the lunar environment.
It will also pave the way for a landing and, eventually, a Moon base - our first step in learning how to live on another world.
But the voyage comes with serious risks - the crew will fly in a spacecraft never used by humans before.
And there will be personal challenges: the astronauts will spend 10 days cramped together in a spacecraft the size of a minibus.
So how will this high-stakes mission work?
Mission commander
"It is a test mission and we are ready for every scenario…It's going to be amazing"
Reid Wiseman
Mission commander
Lift off for the Moon
The astronauts will start their journey on Nasa’s mega Moon rocket, the Space Launch System.
It is the most powerful rocket the US space agency has ever built and will blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Missing required parameter : No images defined in vocabs
Standing 98m tall (322ft) the SLS has flown only once before, launching in 2022 for Artemis I without astronauts onboard.
It has two huge rocket boosters and four engines that provide the power to get off the ground.
The orange core stage is essentially a giant fuel tank - containing more than three million litres of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
The job of the SLS is to carry the Orion spacecraft - which sits at the top of the rocket with the astronauts onboard - to space.
If anything did go wrong during the early stages of the launch, the Launch Abort System, at the very top of the rocket, would propel the astronauts to safety.
The launch is one of the most dangerous parts of the mission - everything has to go perfectly.
All of the astronauts say they sat down with their families to talk about the risks involved.
Mission pilot
“We've all got someone, an astronaut, that is going to be with our family members when they're watching launch, which can be this terrific and terrifying moment all at the same time.”
Victor Glover
Mission pilot
The astronauts
Glover is one of four astronauts - three Americans and one Canadian - who have been training for Artemis II for more than two years. They have decades of experience between them - although one has never been to space before.
Reid Wiseman
Role | Commander Background | Navy veteran Astronaut experience | 16 years Time spent in space | 6 months
Reid says he has a lifelong love of flying, but on the ground he’s afraid of heights.
Victor Glover
Role | Pilot Background | Former test pilot Astronaut experience | 12 years Time spent in space | 6 months
While in the military, Victor’s call-sign was IKE, which stands for I Know Everything.
Christina Koch
Role | Mission specialist Background | Electrical engineer Astronaut experience | 12 years Time spent in space | 1 year
Christina made history taking part in the first all female spacewalk while on the ISS.
Jeremy Hansen
Role | Specialist Background | Fighter pilot Astronaut experience | 16 years Time spent in space | None
The Canadian will be taking maple syrup and maple cookies on his lunar voyage.
Reid Wiseman
Role | Commander Background | Navy veteran Astronaut experience | 16 years Time spent in space | 6 months
Reid says he has a lifelong love of flying, but on the ground he is afraid of heights.
Victor Glover
Role | Pilot Background | Former test pilot Astronaut experience | 12 years Time spent in space | 6 months
While in the military, Victor’s call-sign was IKE, which stands for I Know Everything.
Christina Koch
Role | Mission specialist Background | Electrical engineer Astronaut experience | 12 years Time spent in space | 1 year
Christina made history taking part in the first all-female spacewalk while on the International Space Station.
Jeremy Hansen
Role | Specialist Background | Fighter pilot Astronaut experience | 16 years Time spent in space | None
The Canadian will be taking maple syrup and maple cookies on his lunar voyage.
When you see them together, it is clear how well they know - and like - each other. Commander Reid Wiseman has said the quartet have spent so much time with each other, they are now totally in sync.
Nasa
Mission commander
"You get to that point where you do not have to communicate any longer - you're just listening to everything happening, and all four of us are watching each other and the mission, and we do not need to speak - we just know."
Reid Wiseman
Mission commander
Life onboard the Orion spacecraft
The astronauts will spend their 10-day mission crammed inside the Orion crew capsule - which is about 5m wide by 3m high (15ft x 9ft).
To get used to living in such a confined space, the crew has been spending as much time in each others' company as possible. There have even been some Artemis sleepovers.
Nasa
Mission specialist (6ft 2in tall)
Quote introduction
"I’m getting a little bit conscious about my size. Canada did get more than its fair share of the volume of the mission by assigning me."
Jeremy Hansen
Mission specialist (6ft 2in tall)
Missing required parameter : No images defined in vocabs
The crew module has similarities to the ones used for the Apollo missions 50 years ago, but the interior is very different.
Inside this compact living space, the four will work, exercise, eat and sleep.
There are four seats for the launch - once in orbit the crew will pack them away to make more room.
The weightless environment means all surfaces are accessible, so this control panel can be on the 'ceiling'.
There is a water dispenser, for drinking water and to rehydrate food.
Each astronaut has chosen their favourite meals for the journey.
A step, just beneath the hatch, doubles up as a flywheel exercise machine.
The astronauts pull on the cable for 30 minutes of cardiovascular and resistance training each day.
But possibly the most important piece of equipment is tucked away under the floor.
It is a toilet - something the Apollo astronauts didn’t have 50 years ago.
It has been specially designed to overcome the challenges of going to the bathroom in space.
But it’s not very private.
Mission specialist
"On the International Space Station, the loo is much more separated. Our loo... it's in the floor. We're all cramped in there, so any noise that it makes, everyone's going to be hearing. So, yeah, it's different."
Christina Koch
Mission specialist
The journey
The mission to the Moon and back will last 10-ish days - the “ish” is because it depends on the exact timing of the launch, and the relative positions of the Earth and the Moon.
For the first day of the mission, the astronauts will orbit the Earth. They will be high above it - about 70,000km (45,000 miles) up. To put that into perspective the International Space Station is about 400km (250 miles) above our planet.
They will have to get used to the weightless environment, and for space rookie Jeremy Hansen it will be a steep learning curve.
“I do think it is going to be a bit of an adjustment for us when we get up there… I'll be learning how to float and fly - and bumping into stuff. And I'll need a little help, probably,” - Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist.
The astronauts will also be checking the spacecraft’s vital life-support systems - and this includes the onboard toilet.
The astronauts will also have the chance to take Orion for its first test drive.
About three hours into the flight, the upper stage of the rocket - called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) - will detach from the Orion spacecraft.
The crew will then manually fly Orion, approaching and backing away from the ICPS, to see how Orion handles. It is a chance to practise for docking in future missions.
Now the Artemis team has to make a major decision.
While the astronauts are close to Earth, getting back is relatively straightforward if there are any issues that cannot be fixed.
So mission control has to be absolutely certain before they give the go-ahead for a critical manoeuvre called the trans-lunar injection burn.
This is when Orion fires its main engine to blast free of Earth’s gravity and set a path to the Moon.
The outward journey takes four days, travelling about 370,000km (230,000 miles) from Earth.
The astronauts will fly around the Moon’s far side, with several hours dedicated to lunar observation.
The return will take four days and finish with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean
Once they are on their way, coming home will not be easy or quick - the astronauts are now committed to their long journey around the Moon and back.
During this time, the crew will continue to evaluate the spacecraft systems, but the astronauts themselves will also be evaluated and monitored.
It is an opportunity to use the crew as guinea pigs - experiments on board will reveal how their bodies are affected this far out in space.
Radiation is a key concern, as the Sun can hurl out damaging, high-energy particles.
The astronauts will carry a device called a dosimeter to see how much radiation they are exposed to. They will also practise using their radiation shelter, which is under the floor of the spacecraft.
The crew need to know how to get into it quickly if a solar storm was coming their way.
Another practice session to help prepare for the unexpected will involve the astronauts climbing into their bright orange spacesuits, called the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS).
These suits are worn to protect the crew during launch and re-entry, and also act as vital protection if there is a problem with the capsule.
The suit is like a mini-wearable spacecraft, pressurised with inbuilt life-support systems.
The zip has been specially designed to allow the suit to be pulled on quickly.
Other features include the lighter, stronger helmet, which is easy to connect to the comms system.
The life support system supplies air and removes exhaled carbon dioxide, and the new durable gloves can work touchscreens.
Once they are on their way, coming home will not be easy or quick - the astronauts are now committed to their long journey around the Moon and back.
During this time, the crew will continue to evaluate the spacecraft systems, but the astronauts themselves will also be evaluated and monitored.
It is an opportunity to use the crew as guinea pigs - experiments on board will reveal how their bodies are affected this far out in space.
Radiation is a key concern, as the Sun can hurl out damaging, high-energy particles.
The astronauts will carry a device called a dosimeter to see how much radiation they are exposed to. They will also practise using their radiation shelter, which is under the floor of the spacecraft.
The crew need to know how to get into it quickly if a solar storm was coming their way.
Another practice session to help prepare for the unexpected will involve the astronauts climbing into their bright orange spacesuits, called the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS).
These suits are worn to protect the crew during launch and re-entry, and also act as vital protection if there is a problem with the capsule.
The suit is like a mini-wearable spacecraft, pressurised with inbuilt life-support systems.
In the event of an emergency on their way to or from the Moon, the astronauts would quickly suit up – the spacesuit is designed to keep them alive for up to six days as they make their way back to Earth.
The crew will also take part in tests to study their balance and muscle performance and changes in their microbiome, as well as eye and brain health.
Samples of their saliva, blotted on to special paper, will also be taken before, during and after the mission to analyse their immune systems, which can become weakened in space.
Mission specialist
“A fascinating thing about the space environment is it actually changes the immune systems of our bodies, and that's really important to us and our friends. Many of us have experienced those things when we went to the ISS, and we're going to really have to have a handle on that for long duration missions.”
Christina Koch
Mission specialist
Face-to-face with the Moon
Now is the moment that the world has waited more than half a century for: humanity’s return to the Moon.
The astronauts will fly around its far side - the side we cannot see from Earth - at a distance of between 6,500 and 9,500km (4,000-6,000 miles) from the lunar surface.
Orion will point towards the Moon for the best views. The crew will have three full hours devoted to lunar observation - to look, take images, and learn more about its geology, which will help to plan and prepare for a future landing.
Mission specialist
"Depending on the time that we launch, depending on the illumination of the far side of the Moon… we could see parts of the Moon that never have had human eyes laid upon them before. And believe it or not, human eyes are one of the best scientific instruments that we have."
Christina Koch
Mission specialist
From this vantage point, they will be able to see the Earth and the Moon together from Orion’s windows, with the Moon close up in the foreground and the Earth distant in the background.
Each astronaut has been allowed to bring special items on board for this special moment in their mission. For Victor Glover, it is a Bible and some family heirlooms; for Christina Koch, it is handwritten notes from loved ones, and Jeremy Hansen is bringing some Moon pendants that belong to his wife and three daughters.
Reid Wiseman has chosen something very simple.
“I have a blank piece of paper and a pen pencil, and I can't wait to write some thoughts on that. I don't know what to expect, and I don't want to go in with to go in with any preconceived notions.” Reid Wiseman, Mission commander.
But while the astronauts get to stare in awe and wonder during their lunar fly-by, it will be a tense time for mission control as well as everyone following the mission at home.
As the astronauts fly behind the Moon, they will lose communication with the Earth for between 30 and 50 minutes.
“While we cannot talk to the planet and our friends that are even in space on the International Space Station, I would love it if the entire world, those eight billion people, could come together and just be hoping and praying for us to get that acquisition of signal and be back in touch with everybody.” - Victor Glover, pilot.
Once mission control can breathe a collective sigh of relief and when contact is re-established, it will be time for the astronauts to begin their journey back home.
The risky return
The return will take another four days. But this last part of the mission is one of the riskiest.
For this final manoeuvre, the crew module will separate from the rest of the spacecraft, and the capsule will turn so its heat shield can bear the brunt of the fiery temperatures generated on re-entry and keep the astronauts safe inside.
The spacecraft will hurtle through Earth’s atmosphere at 25,000mph, enduring temperatures of about 2,700C - that is half as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Nasa
There has been a great deal of focus on the heat shield - it was badly damaged during the first uncrewed Artemis mission. But by adjusting the angle of the re-entry, the engineers are confident they have fixed the problem.
Once the spacecraft is safely through, a series of parachutes will be deployed to slow it down.
The astronauts will make a gentle splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, where a recovery team will be waiting.
The capsule can land upright, upside down or on its side, and bright orange airbags will inflate to help turn it upright so the crew can safely exit.
Victor Glover says coming home is the part of the mission he is most excited about.
Nasa
Pilot
“I am really looking forward to seeing those three beautiful parachutes and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. I know that that's when my wife will have her first real, true exhale, and that means a lot to me. This is really challenging on the families, and so I know that's a moment that's going to be really special for her, and that makes it special for me.”
Victor Glover
Pilot
With their mission complete, the astronauts will be flown back to land. It will be their first chance to walk on solid ground again, and reflect on their journey of a lifetime.
They will have joined an elite group - only 24 astronauts have ever flown around the Moon.
But this is just the start of the Artemis missions. The data and science collected will be pored over, because the next steps will be even more challenging: returning humans to the lunar surface, but this time to stay.
3D models by
Thomas Doykinitsas, Ammar Al Yasiri, Zoë Thomas, Fadi Jibara and Beam Immersive
