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Artemis II Targets Early February Launch for Crew Lunar Flyby

The mission serves as a pathfinder to validate systems before later lunar surface expeditions.

After NASA’s Orion spacecraft was recovered at the conclusion of the Artemis I test flight, its heat shield showed unexpected wear with some of the ablative coating showing signs of mechanical separation.
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NASA technicians use a crane to lift and secure the Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in October.
Technicians with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program complete installation of the America 250 emblem on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Frank Michaux/NASA)

Overview

  • NASA says the flight could lift off as soon as February 6 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B.
  • The 10-day voyage will carry Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a sweeping loop around the Moon without a landing.
  • Orion will follow a free‑return trajectory that includes a roughly 45‑minute loss of signal on the lunar far side, enabling new views and geologic observations.
  • After abnormal heat‑shield wear on 2022’s uncrewed test, NASA implemented fixes and says it is confident in a safe reentry for the crew.
  • The crew will gather cognitive, sleep, stress, immune and cardiovascular data, fly tissue‑on‑chip experiments, and document lunar features from orbit.