US EditionArtemis II Tracker: Follow Astronauts as They Head to the Moon
The 10-day test flight will check Orion and Space Launch System systems as NASA pushes toward a sustained lunar presence.
- On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, NASA's Artemis II rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts on a 10-day mission to orbit the moon.
- This flight marks humanity's first lunar voyage in more than half a century, with the capsule traveling 248,000 miles toward the moon. NASA science mission chief Nicky Fox described Artemis as a "fresh beginning."
- Astronauts will spend 25 hours in Earth orbit testing manual steering by maneuvering within 33 feet of the detached upper stage. The crew is utilizing a Collapsible Contingency Urinal after the onboard toilet system malfunctioned.
- Traveling 4,000 miles beyond the moon, the crew will become the most distant humans ever before returning for a Pacific splashdown. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the long hiatus a "brief intermission."
- NASA updated plans for future missions, with Artemis III scheduled for 2027 to practice lunar docking and Artemis IV targeting the moon's south pole in 2028, two years before an anticipated Chinese crew arrival.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Artemis II Astronauts Bound for Moon After Rocketing Away on NASA's First Lunar Voyage in Decades
Four astronauts embarked on a high-stakes flight around the moon, humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century and the thrilling leadoff in NASA’s push toward a landing in two years.
Artemis II astronauts lift off on high-stakes lunar voyage
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Four astronauts embarked on a high-stakes flight around the moon Wednesday, humanity's first lunar voyage in more than half a century and the thrilling leadoff in NASA's push toward a landing in two years.
They have been on their way to the Moon for more than 7 hours. Already, the crew amazes with its first images. On Earth, hundreds of stunned spectators witness the historic takeoff, the first manned flight to the Moon in 54 years, at the heart of the effervescence of the Kennedy Space Center.
The four astronauts of the Nasa Artemis 2 mission flew on Wednesday for a ten-day return trip around the Moon, a test mission to pave the way for a return to lunar soil in 2028. ...
History. Nearly 54 years after the last Apollo mission, the Space Launch System has taken off since its floridian launch, with four astronauts on board, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (0:24 a.m. French time), towards the Moon.
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