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NASA astronauts reach orbit on historic mission — When will Artemis 2 reach the moon?

April 02, 2026 6 min read Science & Technology GS Paper 3
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What Happened

  • NASA's Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026 at 6:35 pm EDT from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Florida — the first crewed mission to fly around the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
  • The four-member crew aboard the Orion spacecraft named "Integrity" comprises: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (all NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency — CSA).
  • The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket successfully placed Orion into orbit; after stage separation, the Orion spacecraft flew independently into a high Earth orbit extending approximately 46,000 miles beyond Earth.
  • The mission is a planned approximately 10-day free-return trajectory test flight: the crew will fly around the Moon and return to Earth without landing.
  • Artemis II is the second flight of the SLS-Orion system after the uncrewed Artemis I (November 2022), and is designed to validate life-support and crew systems before the planned crewed lunar landing (Artemis III).

Static Topic Bridges

The Artemis Programme — Goals and Architecture

The Artemis programme is NASA's flagship human spaceflight programme, formally established under Space Policy Directive 1 in 2017. Named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, Artemis aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a long-term lunar presence as a stepping stone to eventual human missions to Mars. Unlike the Apollo programme (1961-1972), which focused on short "flags-and-footprints" stays, Artemis envisions a sustained human presence at the lunar south pole — a region of scientific interest due to confirmed water ice deposits.

  • Artemis I (November 2022): Uncrewed test flight of SLS and Orion; flew 1.3 million miles over 25 days, including a retrograde lunar orbit.
  • Artemis II (April 2026): First crewed flight — free-return trajectory around the Moon (no landing).
  • Artemis III (planned): First crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17; will use a Human Landing System (HLS) provided by SpaceX (Starship variant).
  • Gateway: A planned lunar orbital station (international partnership) to serve as a staging hub for lunar surface missions and eventual deep space exploration.
  • Long-term goal: Establish the Lunar South Pole base; use lunar resources (water ice → oxygen + hydrogen fuel) for sustainable operations.
  • Artemis Accords: A set of bilateral agreements for peaceful and transparent space exploration practices, signed by 43+ nations including India (27th signatory, 2023).

Connection to this news: Artemis II is the critical crewed validation mission for the entire Artemis architecture — its success is a prerequisite for the lunar landing and the broader Moon-to-Mars roadmap.

Orion Spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS)

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and the Space Launch System (SLS) are the two core elements of NASA's deep space human transportation infrastructure. Orion is designed to carry up to four astronauts beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), unlike the ISS-bound Crew Dragon or Starliner which serve LEO missions only. The European Service Module (ESM), built by Airbus Defence and Space on behalf of ESA, provides propulsion, power, thermal control, and consumables (water, air) for Orion.

  • Orion crew module: Designed by Lockheed Martin; largest heat shield ever built (5 metres diameter) — needed for high-speed re-entry from lunar distances (~11 km/s vs ~8 km/s for ISS returns).
  • SLS Block 1: Uses 4 RS-25 engines (derived from Space Shuttle Main Engines) + 2 solid rocket boosters; produces ~8.8 million lbs of thrust — approximately 15% more than Saturn V.
  • Perigee raise burn: An initial engine firing after orbital insertion to adjust the lowest point of the orbit, setting up the trajectory for Translunar Injection (TLI).
  • Apogee raise burn: Raises the highest point of the orbit for proximity operations testing with the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS).
  • Translunar Injection (TLI): The engine burn that commits the spacecraft to its lunar trajectory — scheduled at 7:49 pm EDT on April 3, lasting 5 minutes 49 seconds, imparting 1,274 feet/second velocity change.

Connection to this news: Reaching orbit and completing the perigee raise burn are the first critical milestones in the Artemis II mission, with TLI being the "point of no return" that commits the crew to the lunar flyby.

Apollo Programme — Legacy and Comparison with Artemis

The Apollo programme (1961-1972) was the first and, until Artemis, the only programme to land humans on the Moon. Driven by Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, Apollo achieved the first crewed lunar landing with Apollo 11 (July 1969) and completed six successful landings in total before Apollo 17 (December 1972), the last crewed mission to the lunar surface. The 50+ year gap between Apollo 17 and Artemis II represents the longest hiatus in human deep space exploration.

  • Apollo 17 (December 1972): Last crewed lunar mission before Artemis II; crew: Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, Ron Evans.
  • Apollo 13 (1970): Famous "successful failure" — oxygen tank rupture forced lunar landing abort; crew returned safely using Lunar Module as lifeboat.
  • Saturn V rocket: Maximum payload ~130 tonnes to LEO; produced 7.6 million lbs thrust. SLS Block 1 produces ~8.8 million lbs.
  • Furthest human from Earth: Apollo 13 crew at approximately 400,171 km; Artemis II is expected to break this record.
  • Victor Glover (Artemis II pilot): First Black astronaut on a deep space mission.
  • Christina Koch: Will be the first woman to fly to the Moon.

Connection to this news: Artemis II directly and symbolically continues Apollo's legacy, and NASA has deliberately highlighted the 50-year milestone as a marker of both continuity and progress — including in diversity of crews.

India's Space Diplomacy and Lunar Interests

India has joined the Artemis Accords (2023) and has significant lunar interests through its own ISRO programme (Chandrayaan missions) as well as bilateral cooperation with NASA. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla flew to the International Space Station as part of the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) in June 2025 — the first Indian astronaut on the ISS. This was followed by the award of the Ashoka Chakra (India's highest peacetime military honour) to Shukla in January 2026. Shukla is also one of four astronauts selected for Gaganyaan — India's first crewed domestic spaceflight, targeted for 2027.

  • Chandrayaan-3 (August 2023): Vikram lander achieved soft landing near lunar south pole — made India the first country to achieve this, and only the fourth to soft-land on the Moon overall.
  • Artemis Accords: India signed as the 27th signatory in June 2023 during PM Modi's state visit to Washington; commits India to peaceful, transparent, interoperable, and safe outer space activities.
  • Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4): Launched June 25, 2025; Shukla was mission pilot; conducted ~60 experiments including 7 ISRO-designated ones during a two-week ISS stay.
  • Gaganyaan: India's crewed LEO mission using GSLV Mk III; targeted for 2027; four astronauts selected: Shubhanshu Shukla, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap.
  • LUPEX: India-Japan joint lunar polar exploration rover mission, in planning stage with ISRO-JAXA collaboration.

Connection to this news: The Artemis II launch coincides with India's own growing space ambitions and its position as an Artemis Accords signatory — making the mission relevant to both India's space programme trajectory and its space diplomacy with the United States.

Key Facts & Data

  • Artemis II launch: April 1, 2026, 6:35 pm EDT, Launch Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center
  • Crew: Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch (MS), Jeremy Hansen/CSA (MS)
  • Spacecraft: Orion ("Integrity"), launched on Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1
  • Mission duration: ~10 days (free-return trajectory around Moon)
  • Last crewed lunar mission before Artemis II: Apollo 17, December 1972 (54-year gap)
  • High Earth orbit altitude after ICPS burn: ~46,000 miles (74,000 km) beyond Earth
  • Translunar Injection (TLI) burn: April 3, 7:49 pm EDT; duration 5 min 49 sec; delta-v: 1,274 ft/sec
  • SLS thrust: ~8.8 million lbs (15% more powerful than Saturn V)
  • Orion heat shield diameter: 5 metres (largest ever built)
  • Artemis I (uncrewed): November 2022; 1.3 million miles, 25 days
  • India signed Artemis Accords: June 2023 (27th signatory)
  • Chandrayaan-3 lunar south pole landing: August 2023