NASA announced that the Artemis II mission, which will be the first crewed flight around the Moon since 1972, is now in the final stages of preparation. The launch is scheduled for February 2026, with the earliest possible date set for February 5. 

The Artemis II crew consists of: Reid Wiseman – mission commander; Victor Glover – pilot and the first African American to fly around the Moon; Christina Hammock Koch – mission specialist and the first woman in this role; and Jeremy Hansen – mission specialist and the first Canadian to participate in such a mission. 

Artemis II astronauts (left to right): Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Photo: NASA/Josh Valcarcel 

At a press conference, the astronauts revealed that the Orion capsule they will fly in has been named Integrity. According to NASA, the name symbolizes the values of trust, respect, and cooperation, which are fundamental to the mission’s success. 

The Artemis II mission will last approximately 10 days. The crew will spend the first two days testing the Orion capsule systems near Earth before heading toward the Moon. The flight path includes a figure-eight maneuver – the spacecraft will orbit the far side of the Moon and reach a distance of over 230,000 miles (more than 370,000 kilometers) from Earth. 

Artemis II represents a key phase in NASA’s program. Its success will determine the timing of the next mission, Artemis III, in which astronauts are planned to land on the Moon’s south pole, no earlier than 2027. 

The Artemis program also includes the construction of the international Gateway orbital station, developed in cooperation with ESA, JAXA, CSA, and the United Arab Emirates. The station will serve as a research laboratory, habitat module, and communication hub, paving the way for future Mars missions.