Are you ready for a bona fide moon shot? The upcoming Artemis II mission is one of the most exciting space excursions in recent memory. It’ll be the first time humans have flown to the moon since December 1972, when the landmark Apollo program wrapped up, and NASA began shifting focus toward the space shuttles that would stay closer to home in Earth orbit. 

Artemis II is a chance for NASA to gather valuable new data from a spaceflight of this magnitude and to continue testing its new Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft that will carry the astronauts. The 10-day mission will be a flyby for those four humans — an actual moon landing is planned for the follow-up Artemis III mission — but there will be plenty of drama nonetheless.

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The launch is scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 8 and no later than Feb. 13. NASA has the rocket in place and is rigorously testing it to ensure it’s ready for the journey. Orion is in its final preparation stages, and apart from some final tests, everything is ready to go. The mission is crewed by commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Wiseman, Glover and Koch are American. Hansen is Canadian and will be the first from his country to travel to the moon. 

While we don’t yet know the exact launch date, we do know what’s going to happen. After liftoff, the Orion spacecraft will maneuver into orbit, head to the moon, slingshot around it, and return home as Earth’s gravity pulls it back. This launch is now over eight years in the making, and the big moment is very close. 

The Artemis II launch in February

On the launch date, Artemis II will lift off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Space Launch System, NASA’s super heavy-lift rocket and the primary launch vehicle for the Artemis program, will produce more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch Orion and the crew into space. 

In the initial minutes, the spacecraft will shed components such as rocket boosters and hardware used specifically for the launch phase. 

How to stream the launch

The earliest possible launch date (PDF) of Artemis II is Feb. 8, and the launch window lasts until Feb. 13. Should Artemis II miss this launch window, the next ones are March 6-11, April 1-6 and April 30. The time of day varies, but NASA is aiming for an evening liftoff, so prepare to watch either at or after dinner. 

NASA is streaming the launch on its usual platforms. They include its YouTube channel, its free on-demand streaming app NASA Plus, and the agency’s social media pages on Facebook and X. It also should be livestreamed on Twitch, and with the partnership NASA signed with Netflix in 2025, it’ll likely be livestreamed on Netflix as well. 

What will happen first

Approximately eight minutes after launch, the spacecraft will separate from the lower stage, leaving only the Orion capsule and the upper-stage rocket, while the expendable lower stage will splash down into the Atlantic Ocean and sink to the bottom. 

Over the next few hours, the spacecraft will reach its orbit around Earth, in an orbital pattern that makes it easier for the astronauts to return home if something goes wrong. (The Artemis I mission flew successfully in 2022, but was uncrewed.) It will remain there until the second day of the mission. 

Days 1-2: Testing systems

Once in high orbit, the crew will engage the manual controls and begin testing the systems on board, including life support and communications. Once everything is deemed OK, the upper-stage rocket will perform what’s known as a translunar injection burn before detaching, sending Orion streaking toward the moon. 

Day 3-5: Travel time

The crew will have a couple days’ travel time to get all the way out to the moon, a distance of over 225,000 miles. (It’s about the same amount of time as driving nonstop from New York City to Los Angeles, a trip of less than 3,000 miles.) By comparison, the International Space Station is only about 250 miles away from Earth. During this time, the crew will be busy performing tests, practicing procedures, and trying out the mission technology. 

Day 6: The dark side of the moon

The Artemis II crew reaches lunar orbit on Day 6, flying around the far side of the moon and preparing for their return journey. It will be a rare in-person look at the dark side of the moon, and, depending on which day the mission launches, the Artemis II crew may also break the record for the longest journey made by humans away from the Earth when they hit the far point of their loop around the moon. That record — 248,655 miles — was set during the Apollo 13 mission. 

The crew is expected to lose communication with Earth during this time. They’ll photograph the far side of the moon before reestablishing communications and heading home. 

Day 7-9: Homeward bound

The Orion will drift around the moon and begin its homeward trajectory under the influence of Earth’s and the moon’s gravity. 

Day 10: Splashdown

The final day of the mission will see Orion and its crew return to Earth. Orion will enter orbit at high speed, generating heat up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This will thoroughly test those improvements that NASA made to Orion’s heat shields. Once reentry into the atmosphere is complete, the crew will deploy Orion’s parachutes and drop into the Pacific Ocean. The US Navy will pick them up roughly two hours later. 

Artemis III: Planned lunar landing

The Artemis II mission is a vital building block in the long sequence of events that will put humans back on the surface of the moon. Data collected and tests conducted on the mission will be used to prepare the Artemis III mission, which would be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.

SpaceX is building the system the crew will use to land on the moon, and Houston-based company Axiom Space is developing the space suits they will wear. 

Artemis III is scheduled to launch in mid-2027.