Overview
- Officials identified Feb. 5, 2026 as the earliest possible launch date and reiterated a commitment to launch no later than April.
- The four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—will fly a roughly 10‑day free‑return around the moon.
- The astronauts announced the Orion capsule’s name, Integrity, reflecting the mission’s emphasis on trust and responsibility.
- SLS is largely stacked at Kennedy Space Center, while Orion completes final processing and then moves to the Vehicle Assembly Building for integration, testing, rollout, and a wet dress rehearsal.
- Artemis II will test Orion’s life support, navigation, displays, software, and a proximity‑operations demo before committing to the translunar burn, with splashdown planned in the Pacific off San Diego as reentry planning incorporates Artemis I heat‑shield lessons.