NASA is preparing to send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon in early 2026, a mission that would mark humanity’s first crewed voyage beyond Earth’s orbit in more than half a century.

The flight, known as Artemis II, is designed to take astronauts further into space than any humans have travelled before. While the mission will not land on the lunar surface, it is intended as a crucial step towards a future landing under the Artemis programme, which aims to land astronauts to the Moon later in the decade.

In Florida, NASA has begun the final phase of preparations. Its 98-metre-tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, carrying the Orion spacecraft, has been moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. With the rocket now in position, teams will conduct a series of final checks, tests and a full dress rehearsal to simulate launch conditions.

NASA officials say the earliest possible launch date is February 6, 2026, with additional windows available later that month and into March and April. 

The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, who will serve as commander, Victor Glover as pilot, and Christina Koch, alongside Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. The astronauts have entered pre-launch quarantine in Houston as preparations continue. 

Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I mission, which launched in November 2022 and successfully orbited the Moon before returning to Earth after 25 days in space. If successful, Artemis II would be the first crewed mission to travel around the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972.