NASA counts down for first crewed lunar mission in half a century
By Joey Roulette
Published on April 1, 2026.
NASA is preparing for its first crewed lunar mission in half a century, with the Artemis II crew consisting of NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission will take them around the moon and back, making it the farthest humans have ever traveled. Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stated that conditions are favourable for a successful launch, with only a 20% chance of a scrub within the two-hour window on Wednesday. The Artemis II mission will test critical life-support systems, crew interfaces and communications, and will also take manual control of Orion after launch to test its steering and maneuverability.
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