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America's Return to the Moon

America's Return to the Moon

The Artemis Program's 15-Year Journey to Send Humans Back to Lunar Orbit

Today: Artemis II Rocket Rollout Begins

Overview

No human has traveled beyond low-Earth orbit since December 1972. On January 17, 2026, NASA began rolling its 322-foot Space Launch System rocket to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, setting up a February launch that will send four astronauts around the Moon—the first crewed lunar mission in 53 years.

The 10-day Artemis II mission is both a technical proving flight and a symbolic milestone in a broader competition. China has announced plans to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, and NASA's own lunar landing mission faces uncertainty as SpaceX struggles to ready the Starship vehicle required to put boots on the surface. Artemis II won't land, but it will validate the Orion spacecraft's life support systems with humans aboard and set the stage for everything that follows.

Key Indicators

53
Years since last crewed lunar mission
Apollo 17 splashed down on December 19, 1972.
$93B
Artemis program spending through 2025
NASA Office of Inspector General estimate from FY2012 through FY2025.
4
Astronauts on Artemis II
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
10
Mission duration in days
Crew will travel 6,400 miles beyond the Moon's far side before returning.

People Involved

Reid Wiseman
Reid Wiseman
Artemis II Mission Commander (Active NASA astronaut preparing for February 2026 launch)
VG
Victor Glover
Artemis II Pilot (Active NASA astronaut preparing for February 2026 launch)
Christina Koch
Christina Koch
Artemis II Mission Specialist (Active NASA astronaut preparing for February 2026 launch)
Jeremy Hansen
Jeremy Hansen
Artemis II Mission Specialist (Active Canadian Space Agency astronaut preparing for February 2026 launch)
Jared Isaacman
Jared Isaacman
NASA Administrator (Serving as 15th NASA Administrator since December 2025)

Organizations Involved

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Federal Agency
Status: Leading the Artemis program to return humans to the Moon

The U.S. space agency managing the Artemis program, including the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

SpaceX
SpaceX
Private Aerospace Company
Status: Developing Starship Human Landing System for Artemis III lunar landing

SpaceX holds the contract to build the Starship lander required for astronauts to reach the lunar surface on Artemis III.

CA
Canadian Space Agency
Government Space Agency
Status: Contributing astronaut Jeremy Hansen to Artemis II crew

Canada's space agency, a partner in the Artemis program providing components for the Lunar Gateway station.

Timeline

  1. Artemis II Rocket Rollout Begins

    Preparation

    The 11-million-pound SLS/Orion stack begins its 4-mile, 12-hour journey to Launch Pad 39B for the wet dress rehearsal and launch.

  2. Artemis II Crew Completes Countdown Rehearsal

    Preparation

    The four astronauts practice launch day procedures in the Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center.

  3. Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator

    Leadership

    The Senate confirms the billionaire astronaut 67-30 to lead NASA during the critical Artemis push.

  4. NASA Accelerates Artemis II by Two Months

    Schedule

    NASA moves the target launch date from April to February 2026 after faster-than-expected progress.

  5. NASA Identifies Heat Shield Root Cause

    Investigation

    After two years of analysis and 121 tests, engineers determine trapped gases caused unexpected char loss during Artemis I reentry.

  6. Artemis II Delayed to April 2026, Artemis III to Mid-2027

    Schedule

    NASA announces additional delays due to heat shield findings and life support system analysis requirements.

  7. Artemis II Delayed to September 2025

    Schedule

    NASA pushes back the crewed mission from November 2024, citing heat shield concerns discovered after Artemis I.

  8. NASA Announces Artemis II Crew

    Crew

    Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are named to fly the first crewed Orion mission.

  9. Artemis I Splashes Down

    Mission

    Orion returns to Earth after traveling 1.4 million miles, splashing down in the Pacific 50 years to the day after Apollo 17's lunar landing.

  10. Artemis I Launches Successfully

    Launch

    The uncrewed Orion spacecraft lifts off on the first Space Launch System flight, beginning a 25.5-day test mission around the Moon.

  11. Program Named 'Artemis'

    Program

    NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announces the lunar program will be called Artemis, after Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology.

  12. Trump Signs Space Policy Directive 1

    Policy

    President Trump directs NASA to return astronauts to the Moon, formalizing the shift from asteroid missions to lunar exploration.

  13. NASA Announces Space Launch System

    Program

    NASA unveils plans for the heavy-lift rocket that will power Artemis missions, beginning a development effort that would stretch over a decade.

Scenarios

1

Artemis II Launches in February, Validates Orion for Human Flight

Discussed by: NASA officials, SpaceNews, Ars Technica space coverage

The wet dress rehearsal on February 2 proceeds without major issues. NASA confirms flight readiness and launches within the February 6-14 window. The 10-day mission successfully demonstrates life support systems, navigation, and the modified reentry trajectory. Artemis III planning accelerates, though SpaceX Starship readiness remains the constraint.

2

Technical Issues Force Artemis II Delay to Spring 2026

Discussed by: NASA safety panels, aerospace industry analysts

The wet dress rehearsal reveals problems—propellant loading issues, software glitches, or ground system failures—that require the rocket to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building for fixes. NASA pushes to the March or April launch windows. The delay compresses the schedule for Artemis III preparations but doesn't fundamentally alter program trajectory.

3

China Lands Astronauts on Moon Before U.S. Return

Discussed by: Congressional testimony, RAND Corporation, NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel

SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System continues to slip—internal documents show September 2028 as the earliest crewed landing attempt. Meanwhile, China executes its Mengzhou-Lanyue program on schedule, landing two taikonauts on the lunar surface by 2030. The U.S. completes Artemis II and III orbits but loses the landing milestone to a competitor.

4

Artemis III Lands Americans on Moon by Late 2027

Discussed by: NASA Administrator Isaacman, SpaceX statements

SpaceX accelerates Starship development, completing orbital refueling demonstrations and an uncrewed lunar landing ahead of schedule. NASA selects an aggressive launch date and executes the first crewed lunar landing since 1972, with an American woman and a person of color among the first to set foot on the surface.

Historical Context

Apollo 8 First Lunar Orbit (1968)

December 1968

What Happened

Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first humans to leave Earth's gravitational influence and orbit another world. They circled the Moon 10 times on Christmas Eve 1968, broadcasting readings from Genesis to an estimated one billion viewers—the most-watched television event in history at that time.

Outcome

Short Term

Validated the Saturn V rocket and Apollo spacecraft for lunar operations, setting up Apollo 11's landing seven months later.

Long Term

Established that humans could survive deep space transit, and produced the iconic 'Earthrise' photograph that galvanized the environmental movement.

Why It's Relevant Today

Artemis II mirrors Apollo 8's mission profile: first crewed flight of a new vehicle around the Moon without landing, serving as the critical validation step before attempting a surface mission.

Space Shuttle Return to Flight (1988, 2005)

September 1988, July 2005

What Happened

After Challenger's O-ring failure killed seven astronauts in 1986, NASA spent 32 months redesigning the solid rocket boosters and safety culture before flying again. After Columbia's foam strike destroyed the orbiter on reentry in 2003, killing seven more, NASA grounded the fleet for 29 months while developing inspection protocols and repair kits.

Outcome

Short Term

Both return-to-flight missions—Discovery in 1988 and 2005—succeeded, though the 2005 flight revealed foam continued to shed despite fixes.

Long Term

Columbia led directly to the Shuttle's retirement in 2011, creating the capability gap that the SLS program was designed to fill.

Why It's Relevant Today

The Artemis I heat shield anomaly—unexpected char loss during reentry—echoes the pattern of discovering problems only visible in actual flight conditions. NASA's two-year investigation and trajectory modifications for Artemis II follow the post-Columbia playbook of understanding root causes before flying crew.

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975)

July 1975

What Happened

American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts docked their spacecraft in orbit, marking the first international crewed space mission. The symbolic handshake between Tom Stafford and Alexei Leonov occurred at the height of détente.

Outcome

Short Term

Demonstrated that Cold War rivals could cooperate in space, laying groundwork for later ISS partnership.

Long Term

Established the precedent that space exploration could bridge geopolitical divides—a model the Artemis Accords attempts to extend.

Why It's Relevant Today

Jeremy Hansen's presence on Artemis II—the first non-American on a lunar mission—represents a different model of international cooperation. Canada's contribution comes through the Artemis Accords framework, which China and Russia have rejected in favor of their competing International Lunar Research Station.

12 Sources:
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NASA Space.com Orlando Sentinel Wikipedia RAND Corporation Spaceflight Now NASA NASA Wikipedia NASA Space.com NASA