For the first time since the Apollo 17 mission splashed down in December 1972, human beings are traveling to the vicinity of the Moon. NASA's Artemis II lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft named "Integrity" — marking one of the most significant moments in the history of human space exploration.

The crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialists Christina Koch (all NASA) and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency — successfully completed the proximity operations demonstration early in the mission and fired the main engine on April 3 to set course for the Moon. Mission control in Houston confirmed the burn was a success, sending Integrity speeding toward the lunar neighborhood for a flyby before its return to Earth around April 10.

Unlike the Apollo missions, the Artemis II crew will not land on the Moon. Instead, they will loop around the far side of the lunar surface before returning home — a critical test designed to validate Orion's life support systems, navigation, communication links, and overall performance in deep space with humans aboard. These systems cannot be fully tested on Earth or in low orbit.

The mission had a turbulent road to launch. A hydrogen leak scrubbed the first attempt in February, and a helium flow issue in the rocket's upper stage forced another delay in March. But NASA engineers resolved both problems, and the April 1 launch proceeded without a hitch. The mission sets the stage for Artemis III — which aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon's south pole, an area of intense scientific interest for its potential water ice deposits.

Victor Glover makes history as the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit, and Christina Koch becomes the first woman to venture into deep space — milestones that NASA called "a reflection of the diverse excellence that drives American exploration."