The highly anticipated Artemis II mission marks humanity’s first crewed journey to the moon since the Apollo program ceased in 1972. Set to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 1, this groundbreaking mission will take four astronauts further into space than ever before.

This mission represents NASA’s second flight of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule, showcasing its first crewed operation following the successful unmanned Artemis I mission in 2022 that circled the moon.

Upon launch, NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will spend the initial two days in Earth orbit, testing the spacecraft’s systems. A critical aspect of these tests is to maneuver the Orion capsule for docking with an older spacecraft, a process that will require astronaut control for safety.

“We may need to intervene if docking doesn’t go as planned,” Glover mentioned during a press conference on March 29. “Our goal is to ensure we can manage any unexpected situations.”

After completing these tests, Orion will embark on its lunar orbit, reaching a maximum distance of approximately 402,000 kilometers from Earth, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. This orbit will provide astronauts with an unprecedented view of the moon’s hidden regions due to favorable lighting conditions.

The entire mission is expected to span approximately 10 days before the Orion capsule returns safely to Earth. Looking ahead, the next phase—Artemis III—is slated for 2027, which will involve testing the lunar module’s docking system but will remain in Earth’s orbit, instead of landing on the moon as initially proposed. The following Artemis IV mission in 2028 aims to achieve a moon landing.

“Our team’s primary objective has always been to ensure the success of Artemis III,” Wiseman stated in a press release. These ongoing missions are essential for establishing a permanent lunar presence, with NASA officials envisioning human habitation on the moon for years to come.

“We genuinely hope that this mission opens the doors to a new era where everyone on Earth can view the moon as a reachable destination,” Koch added, emphasizing the mission’s significance.