NASA’s Artemis II Mission Leaves Earth Orbit for Flight around Moon

For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts on a NASA mission are bound to fly around the Moon after successfully completing a key burn of Orion’s main engine. With the approximately six-minute firing of the spacecraft’s service module engine on Thursday, known as the translunar injection burn, Orion and its crew of […]

Artemis II Astronauts Launch to Moon

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lift off in this April 1, 2026, image. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. See more launch […]

Liftoff! NASA Launches Astronauts on Historic Artemis Moon Mission

Spurred by American ingenuity, astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission are in flight, preparing for the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT Wednesday, sending four astronauts aboard the […]

NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon

NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines of Houston, $180.4 million to deliver NASA-funded science and technology to the lunar surface as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis program. This lunar delivery, which includes seven payloads — five of them NASA’s — is expected to increase understanding of the chemical composition […]

NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science

NASA has selected 10 participating scientists to help shape a science plan for astronauts to complete on the lunar surface under the Artemis program – including deploying scientific instruments, making critical observations of the landing site, and collecting Moon rocks. “Congratulations to the scientists selected to participate in this important Artemis lunar surface science team,” […]

NASA Sets Coverage for Artemis II Moon Mission

Editor’s note: NASA will continuously update this Artemis II briefings and mission events page throughout prelaunch, launch, and mission activities. NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch, launch, and mission events for the agency’s upcoming Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon. Launch is targeted for no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April […]

NASA Unveils Initiatives to Achieve America’s National Space Policy

As part of its “Ignition” event on Tuesday, NASA announced a series of transformative agencywide initiatives designed to achieve President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and advance American leadership in space. These actions reflect the urgency of the moment, but also the tremendous opportunity ahead for world-changing science and discovery. “NASA is committed to […]