ARTEMIS II — MISSION PROFILE

BACK TO THE MOON

The first crewed mission to the lunar vicinity in over 50 years. Four astronauts will perform a lunar flyby, testing the foundational systems for permanent human presence.

T-MINUS TO LAUNCH (ESTIMATED)

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TARGET: APRIL 1, 2026 | KENNEDY SPACE CENTER LC-39B

MISSION OVERVIEW

ARTEMIS II ACTIVE PREPARATION

Crewed Flyby

A 10-day mission using a high-altitude Earth orbit followed by a lunar free-return trajectory. The crew will manually pilot Orion to test proximity operations.

ORBIT TYPE Free Return Trajectory
DISTANCE 370,000+ KM
DURATION 10.3 Days
VEHICLE SLS Block 1 / Orion

ARTEMIS III PLANNING PHASE

Surface Landing

The return of humanity to the lunar surface. Artemis III will land the first woman and first person of color near the Lunar South Pole.

TARGET South Pole Aitken Basin
SURFACE STAY 6.5 Days
LANDER SpaceX Starship HLS
SCIENCE Volatile & Ice Sampling

ARTEMIS II CREW

The four pioneers leading humanity's return to deep space.

COMMANDER

REID WISEMAN

NASA

PILOT

VICTOR GLOVER

NASA

MISSION SPECIALIST

CHRISTINA KOCH

NASA

MISSION SPECIALIST

JEREMY HANSEN

CSA

THE VEHICLE

Space Launch System (SLS) & Orion

SLS BLOCK 1

The only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

THRUST 8.8 Million Lbs

HEIGHT 322 Feet

PAYLOAD TO TLI 27 Metric Tons

ORION SPACECRAFT

Designed for long-duration deep space missions with the highest safety standards for crew re-entry.

HABITABLE VOL. 316 Cubic Ft

RE-ENTRY SPEED 24,500 MPH

MAX MISSION 21 Days (Active)

INTERACTIVE 3D SCHEMATIC [NASA RESOURCE]

MISSION REVISION

ARTEMIS III: LEO TEST

As of early 2025, NASA has revised the Artemis III mission profile. While the ultimate goal remains the South Pole landing, Artemis III will now serve as a critical Earth-orbit test of the HLS (Human Landing System) docking and transfer procedures.

CONTEXT

The revision reflects delays in SpaceX Starship HLS and Blue Origin Blue Moon lander certification. Artemis III will verify docking interfaces and EVA suit performance in LEO before committing a crew to a lunar landing on Artemis IV.

Commercial lander selection was retained from the original program — two providers (SpaceX and Blue Origin) compete for the first crewed lunar surface access.