CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s now-delayed Artemis II mission is the second phase of a series of missions ultimately aimed at sending humans to Mars.
Artemis II will send four astronauts around the moon in the first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion Spacecraft.
March launch
NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket.
It’s the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was grounded for months because of a hydrogen leak.
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Until the exasperating hydrogen leaks, the space agency had been targeting as soon as the first weekend of February 2026 for humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century.
“As always, safety remains our top priority,” NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman said via X. “We will only launch when we believe we are as ready to undertake this historic mission.”
The launch is now aimed for no earlier than March 6.
SLS rocket, Orion capsule for Artemis II
The Space Launch System rocket stands 322-feet-tall paired with the Orion capsule, which the four astronauts will ride in, when it launches.
According to NASA, there were several updates made to the rocket after Artemis I mission in 2022, including:
- The core stage Power Distribution Control Unit was updated to “resolve timing issues during countdown.”
- A self-sealing quick disconnect was added “to reduce fuel leak risk.”
NASA said that even before Artemis I, there was extensive testing done on the materials and manufacture of the core stage and “its elements proved the stage to be capable of performing its role on SLS.”
Four RS-25 engines power the SLS rocket. Three of the engines were formerly used as the Space Shuttle Main Engine and flew on 135 space shuttle missions, according to NASA.
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“The three veteran RS-25s slated for Artemis II have a rich history in NASA’s Space Shuttle Program flying to low-Earth orbit,” NASA said.
So how are these engines being used differently on the SLS than during the Space Shuttle Program?
The shuttle missions each used three engines, while SLS uses four. They were also upgraded with new controllers that were tested before Artemis I.
The RS-25, manufactured by L3Harris Technologies, is the most efficient rocket engine in its class, allowing heavier payloads to be carried without increasing the rocket’s size.
NASA Guide
The Orion capsule also features tiles that are “made of a silica fiber material similar to those used for more than 30 years on the space shuttle.“
“The tiles will protect the spacecraft from both the coldness of space and the extreme heat of entry into Earth’s atmosphere,” NASA said.
Astronauts
Four astronauts will be aboard for the Artemis II launch around the moon.
The crew includes three NASA astronauts and one astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency:
- Reid Wiseman, commander
- Victor Glover, pilot
- Christina Koch, mission specialist
- Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist
Artemis II will send the astronauts on a roughly 10‑day flight around the moon, the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years and a key step toward establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface.
Over the course of about two days, they will check out Orion’s systems and perform a targeting demonstration test relatively close to Earth before then beginning the trek toward the moon, NASA said.
Here are each of the astronauts’ biographies:
Reid Wiseman is a 27-year Navy veteran, a pilot, a father, an engineer, and a Baltimore native. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2009 and served as Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41 from May through November of 2014. During the 165-day mission, Reid and his crewmates completed over 300 scientific experiments in areas such as human physiology, medicine, physical science, Earth science and astrophysics. This was Reid’s first spaceflight, which also included almost 13 hours as lead spacewalker during two trips outside the orbital complex. Reid also fostered a strong social media presence throughout his mission by sharing the raw emotions of spaceflight as seen through the eyes of a rookie flier. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He served as Chief of the Astronaut Office. Wiseman has been assigned as Commander of NASA’s Artemis II mission.
NASA
Victor J. Glover, Jr. was selected as an astronaut in 2013 while serving as a Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate. He most recently served as pilot of the Crew-1 dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, which flew to the International Space Station, where he also served as Flight Engineer for Expedition 64/65. Glover has been assigned as Pilot of NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon.
The California native earned an undergraduate engineering degree as a two sport athlete, while serving his community. Glover is a Naval Aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler. He and his family have been stationed in many locations in the United States and Japan and he has deployed in combat and peacetime.
Christina Koch is an explorer and engineer who became astronaut in 2013. She is currently training for NASA’s Artemis II mission, planned to go around the moon next year. Her previous experience in spaceflight was living and working on the International Space Station for almost all of 2019 in Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. For this mission, she flew on the Russian Soyuz rocket and trained extensively in Russia. Christina spent a total of 328 consecutive days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalks. After this spaceflight and before being assigned to Artemis II, she served as Branch Chief of the Assigned Crew Branch in the Astronaut Office and did a rotation as Assistant for Technical Integration for the Center Director at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Prior to becoming an astronaut, Christina’s experience spanned both space science mission instrument development and remote scientific field engineering in the Antarctic and Arctic. Her hobbies include surfing, rock and ice climbing, programming, community service, triathalons, yoga, backpacking, woodworking, photography and travel.
NASA
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will fly to the Moon on the Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight test of the Orion spacecraft launching on the SLS rocket. He will become the first Canadian to ever venture to the Moon.
Canadian Space Agency
What happened during Artemis I?
Artemis I took eight months from rollout to launch.
After dealing with delays after rollout, from fuel leaks to hurricanes, the SLS rocket launched in November 2022 from Florida’s Space Coast. It was a test flight to successfully send the Orion capsule to the moon and back to Earth.
While no one was on the $4 billion test flight, NASA managers were thrilled to pull off the dress rehearsal, especially after so many years of flight delays and busted budgets.
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Getting Orion back intact after the 25-day flight was NASA’s top objective. With a return speed of 25,000 mph — considerably faster than coming in from low-Earth orbit — the capsule used a new, advanced heat shield never tested before in spaceflight. To reduce the gravity or G loads, it dipped into the atmosphere and briefly skipped out, also helping to pinpoint the splashdown area.
Overall Artemis mission goal
NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the 1960s and 1970s Apollo missions. The new Artemis program is aiming for new territory — the moon’s south polar region — and looking to keep crews on the lunar surface for much longer periods.
Artemis II will be the first mission in NASA’s moon program to have astronauts riding on the 322-foot Space Launch System for a flight around the moon.
This mission would set the stage for Artemis III, which would send the first humans to explore the region near the lunar South Pole.
Last year, NASA reopened the $4.4 billion contract for production of the Artemis III lunar lander after continued delays of SpaceX’s Starship. Starship has been plagued by a string of explosive failures that has been detrimental to the timeline for the Artemis missions.
Why back to the moon?
We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation. While maintaining American leadership in exploration, we will build a global alliance and explore deep space for the benefit of all.
NASA
Then, ultimately, Artemis IV aims to debut humanity’s “first lunar space station, a larger, more powerful version of the SLS rocket, and new mobile launcher,” according to NASA. This will enable “new opportunities for science and preparation for human missions to Mars.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.