On April 1, 2026, NASA plans to launch the Artemis II mission from Cape Canaveral using the Orion spacecraft and the SLS rocket. It would be the first human flight beyond Earth orbit since 1972. Four astronauts are assigned to the mission: three from the United States and one from Canada.
No lunar landing is planned for this expedition. Instead, the crew is expected to fly around the Moon and return to Earth about ten days later. The launch schedule was already delayed: February 8 had first been named as a possible date, but an unacceptably large hydrogen leak was found during the dress rehearsal, followed by additional technical problems.
After reaching orbit, Orion is expected to move about 2,250 kilometers away from Earth before entering a higher orbit reaching roughly 74,000 kilometers. A translunar injection burn is planned for the second day. During the pass behind the far side of the Moon, contact with Earth is expected to be lost for about 45 minutes; at that point, the crew would surpass the Apollo 13 record for the greatest human distance from Earth.
“I would like the whole world to come together and pray that we pick up the signal again and get back in touch with everyone,” mission pilot Victor Glover said about that phase.
The mission is unfolding amid debate over the future of the U.S. lunar program. Donald Trump’s administration proposed cutting NASA’s budget by 24%, but in July 2025 Congress restored funding for key Artemis elements, including additional SLS rockets, the Gateway station, and another Orion spacecraft. Under current plans, a crewed lunar landing in Artemis IV is expected in 2028.
Artemis is also viewed as part of technological competition with China, which is developing its own lunar projects with partners. Areas of potential rivalry include communications and navigation systems, access to resources, and operating rules near the Moon’s south pole. Expert Vitaly Yegorov says that if lunar activity expands, countries will likely need to coordinate safety issues, because in space mutual assistance matters more than political disagreements.