How NASA’s Artemis II moon mission will unfold

NASA’s Artemis II mission is expected to last about 10 days and send four astronauts on a high-speed journey around the Moon, making it the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era. Artemis II is designed to pave the way for future missions that aim to return astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade.

Here’s a day-by-day outline of how the flight is expected to progress.

launch day

Artemis II is scheduled to lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket the agency has ever flown. The launch window will open April 1, and multiple backup opportunities will be available in the coming days, depending on weather, technical readiness and range availability, NASA said. Following launch, the Orion crew capsule will separate from the top of the rocket and enter a highly elliptical orbit around Earth.

1-2. Days: Earth orbit checks

The crew will spend the first one to two days in high Earth orbit performing extensive system checks. These include testing Orion’s life support, propulsion, navigation and communications systems to ensure the spacecraft is ready to go into deep space.

translunar injection

Once the checks are complete, Orion’s propulsion system will perform a critical engine burn, known as translunar injection, sending the spacecraft on a orbit from Earth orbit toward the Moon.
3-4. Days: Beach to the Moon
During the multi-day transit to the Moon, astronauts will continue to monitor spacecraft systems as they set out to operate farther from Earth than any previous human spaceflight. Mission controllers will monitor Orion’s communications and navigation performance as it moves deeper into space.

moon flight

Orion will pass behind the Moon in a “free spin” orbit; it’s a path that naturally bounces the spacecraft back toward Earth without requiring additional propulsion. At this stage, the spacecraft will reach its greatest distance from Earth.

5-8. Days: Return to Earth

After the lunar flight, the crew will spend several days returning home while conducting additional deep space tests, including evaluations of power systems, thermal controls, and crew operations well beyond low Earth orbit.

Re-entry and bounce

As Orion approaches Earth, it will separate important components before plunging into the atmosphere at approximately 25,000 miles per hour (40,233 km/h). Testing the capsule’s heat shield during high-energy reentry is one of the mission’s primary objectives. The spacecraft is expected to crash into the Pacific Ocean, where rescue teams will pick up the crew.