A joint crew from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) laid out new details on Wednesday (Sept. 24) of Artemis II’s 10‑day trip around the moon, stressing both the mission’s test‑flight flexibility and a schedule that could open as early as February 2026, with NASA’s official target still April 2026.
Commander Reid Wiseman set the tone at the briefing, telling crewmates Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, “Victor, Christina, Jeremy, we’re going to the moon.” He emphasized that Artemis II remains a test mission: “We just do not anchor on dates. We are going to launch when this vehicle is ready, when this team is ready,” noting the crew could return shortly after liftoff, spend several days in Earth orbit, or proceed to the lunar loop.
The binational crew also revealed the name of their Orion spacecraft — Integrity — chosen to reflect NASA, CSA, and personal core values, and their hope that Artemis “brings together the world … in peace and hope for all humankind,” Wiseman said.
Koch highlighted why returning to the moon matters beyond exploration: innovations for deep‑space travel and technologies that benefit life on Earth, plus gains from commercial partnerships that strengthen the aerospace industrial base. She said the closest approach will devote roughly three hours to observing the lunar surface; with the right lighting on the far side, “we could see parts of the moon that never have had human eyes lay upon them before.”
Artemis II will fly on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket — major elements built by Boeing and Northrop Grumman — and the Orion capsule built by Lockheed Martin. The mission is the crewed precursor to Artemis III, a far more complex lunar‑landing effort currently planned for 2027 using a moon‑lander variant of SpaceX’s Starship.
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NASA delayed Artemis II last year to April 2026; officials now say the window could move up to early February 2026 if preparations allow, but the team will launch only when ready.
Production by Jose Pablo Diaz.
