NASA Artemis II: Journey to the Moon’s Far Side

NASA’s Artemis II mission is currently executing a 10-day crewed lunar flyby, marking the first time humans have ventured toward the Moon since the Apollo program ended more than 50 years ago. Launched on April 1, 2026, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the mission serves as a critical test of deep space systems and the Orion spacecraft’s capabilities to sustain a crew before future lunar surface landings.

The four-person crew consists of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. The mission utilizes a boomerang trajectory, designed to return the spacecraft to Earth without the use of its engines to prioritize crew safety.

Observations of the Lunar Far Side

On April 4, 2026, the fourth day of the lunar journey, the crew captured a new image of the far side of the Moon. NASA released the image on April 5, 2026, showing the Moon oriented upside down with its South Pole facing upward.

A primary focus of the crew’s observations is the Orientale basin, a massive crater that is difficult to observe from Earth. According to NASA, the Artemis II voyage is the first time humans have seen this basin in full. The crew will continue to observe the basin from multiple angles throughout the flyby to establish a baseline for comparing other impact craters on rocky worlds ranging from Mercury to Pluto.

The mission is designed to bring the crew to an altitude of more than 7,400 kilometers (4,600 miles) above the surface. This distance allows the astronauts a privileged view of the lunar far side, potentially making them the first humans to see parts of the lunar surface that have never been seen by human eyes.

Technical Testing and Mission Objectives

Artemis II is a test flight intended to demonstrate a broad range of capabilities required for deep space missions. The mission utilizes the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft, which is developed to carry and sustain crews for missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

Key technical milestones during the flight include:

• Manual piloting demonstrations completed on April 4, 2026.
• Suit demonstrations performed by the crew on April 5, 2026.
• Deep-space flying and lunar flyby preparations.
• The collection of observations and data to evaluate the performance of the Orion spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that gathering data is the primary goal of the current mission. He emphasized that learning as much as possible about Orion is critical because the Artemis III mission is scheduled for one year from now.

We want to gather as much data as we possibly can for that. Of course, there’s various science experiments, there’s lunar observations, but learning as much as we can about Orion is critically important, because Artemis III is a year away.

Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator

Mission Timeline and Status

As of April 5, 2026, NASA reported that the Artemis II spacecraft was approximately 64,000 miles from the Moon. The mission is scheduled for a total duration of 10 days. The crew has already spent several days preparing the cabin for the lunar flyby and testing deep-space systems.

The Artemis II mission builds upon the success of the uncrewed Artemis I mission conducted in 2022. By successfully completing this crewed flyby, NASA aims to pave the way for the return of astronauts to the lunar surface in the Artemis III mission.