Overview

• NASA outlined a launch window between February and April 2026 for Artemis II, identifying February 5 as the earliest opportunity while stressing that safety could shift the date.
• Artemis II will not land on the Moon and is planned as a roughly 10‑day flight to validate Orion and SLS, launching from Kennedy Space Center and splashing down in the eastern Pacific near San Diego.
• The four‑person crew comprises Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
• NASA introduced a new class of 10 astronaut selectees chosen from about 8,000 applicants, with six women and four men, including Anna Menon as the first recruit who has previously flown to orbit on a private mission.
• NASA continues to frame Artemis III’s 2027 lunar landing goal as dependent on technical progress, budgets and contractor readiness, with broader context of U.S.–China competition in lunar exploration.