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Artemis II Name Sign‑Up Nears Jan. 21 Deadline as Argentina’s Atenea CubeSat Confirmed for Flight

The crewed lunar flyby will test critical systems on Orion and the SLS to prepare for future landings and longer human missions.

A banner covered with the signatures of NASA employees and contractors is seen on the perimeter fence of Launch Complex 39B after NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft were rolled out to the launch pad, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP)
Cape Canaveral (United States), 18/01/2026.- A handout photo made available by NASA shows the Launch Complex 39B after NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft were rolled out to the launch pad, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, 18 January 2026. According to NASA, Artemis 2 is a crewed lunar flyby mission, the second in NASA's Artemis program, and the first human mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, testing spacecraft systems ahead of future Moon landings. NASA’s Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026. EFE/EPA/Joel Kowsky HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Un equipo integrado por técnicos de CONAE, UNLP, UNSAM y UBA construyó a Atenea, el microsatélite que será parte de la misión Artemis II, con la que la NASA volverá a la Luna
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Overview

  • NASA’s global registration to send names stored on a card inside Orion closes on January 21, with more than one million digital boarding passes already claimed.
  • Participants enroll free on NASA’s site by entering a name and PIN, then receive a downloadable boarding pass with a QR code.
  • Artemis II will send four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on a roughly 10‑day free‑return flyby of the Moon.
  • Argentina’s government and CONAE confirmed the Atenea microsatellite will fly on Artemis II, deploying beyond about 70,000 km to measure radiation, test long‑range communications, evaluate commercial components, and capture GPS signals in distant orbits.
  • The mission remains within a launch window through late April 2026 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39, with Orion planned to splash down in the Pacific off San Diego for recovery by NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense.