Common Questions

When did Artemis II launch?: Artemis II launched on 1 April 2026 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Source: Launch event
Who are the Artemis II astronauts?: Artemis II carries four astronauts on a ten-day lunar flyby mission.Source: Mission profile
What is the Artemis II heat shield problem?: Orion's heat shield showed unexpected ablation on Artemis I. NASA identified three failure modes but launched without publishing the review board findings.Source: OIG report / IRB
How much does Artemis II cost?: Each SLS launch costs approximately $4 billion. The Artemis programme total exceeds $93 billion.Source: Cost analysis
When does Artemis II return to Earth?: The crew is scheduled to splash down on 10 April 2026, around ten days after launch.Source: Mission timeline
What is Artemis II's purpose?: To prove the Orion capsule and SLS rocket can safely carry a crew to the Moon and back, paving the way for a crewed lunar landing.Source: Mission objectives

Background

Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center on 1 April 2026, carrying four astronauts on a ten-day lunar flyby — the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew named their Orion capsule Integrity. Their trajectory takes them within roughly 8,900 km of the lunar surface before splashdown on 10 April 2026.

The mission follows the uncrewed Artemis I in November 2022 and is the centrepiece of NASA's Artemis programme, originally targeted for 2019-2021 before accumulating five to seven years of delays. Each Space Launch System flight costs approximately $4 billion, with the programme total exceeding $93 billion to date. The programme was restructured after NASA cancelled Block 1B and Block 2 SLS upgrades, making Artemis II the de facto gateway to any crewed lunar landing.

The mission carries an unresolved safety question: Orion's heat shield sustained unexpected ablation during Artemis I re-entry, and the Inspector General identified three failure modes. An internal review board report was never published before launch. Meanwhile, China's crewed lunar programme is assessed as credible for a 2030 landing, compressing the window in which Artemis must succeed to matter geopolitically.

How the World Sees Them

ESA

Europe's service module powers Orion. ESA has seats on future Artemis missions and a stake in the programme's credibility.

NASA

Artemis II validates Orion and SLS for crewed deep-space flight. Success is required before any crewed Moon landing can proceed.

China / CNSA

China's own crewed lunar programme targets 2030. A successful Artemis II raises the stakes but does not close the gap.

US taxpayers / critics

At $4 billion per flight and $93 billion total, Artemis is the most expensive human spaceflight programme in history.