For the first time in over 50 years, astronauts have blasted off into space, carrying humanity’s hopes and dreams into the future.
Artemis II lifted off for its 10-day mission around the Earth and moon at 6:35 pm on April 1st, 2026. The crew consists of three NASA astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and one Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen.
The mission is not to land on the moon, but to explore it from afar, which will prepare NASA for another space landing that is anticipated sometime in 2028.
Astronauts will spend their time flying by the “dark side” of the moon, the side that always faces away from Earth. During their three-hour flyby, the astronauts chosen for this mission will be the first humans to see this part of the moon up close. The crew will also need to describe the features and landmarks they see in color, shape, size, and texture. NASA hopes this space mission will be an important step toward exploring Mars in 2030.
While on their way to the moon, the astronauts will test how well the Orion capsule can protect against space radiation. The purpose is to make it useful for future Artemis missions and projects.
After their three-hour time window, their capsule will spend the next few days traveling back to Earth by April 10th, by plunging into the Pacific Ocean off the San Diego coast.
You can watch the live space cam and follow along the Artemis II journey here.
