Mission to the Moon

February 16, 2026

By Jess McKenna-Ratjen

For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts are training for a lunar mission. As part of NASA’s Artemis II mission, a four-person crew will soon fly around the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft. It’s scheduled to launch sometime between February and April 2026. The trip will last 10 days and cover 370,149 kilometers (230,000 miles)!

In 2022, NASA completed an uncrewed test flight of Orion, called Artemis I. If Artemis II goes well, the space agency plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface sometime in 2027. “I think of Artemis II as part of a relay race,” says astronaut Victor Glover, the mission’s pilot. “If we’re successful, we’ll pass the baton to future missions.”

PATH TO THE MOON

The Artemis II crew will slingshot around the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft and back to Earth. Here’s what will happen during each part of the spacecraft’s flight.