NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight of the Artemis program intended to orbit the Moon, has been delayed. As of March 2026, the agency has not announced a new official launch date for the mission, which was previously scheduled for no earlier than September 2025.
The four-person crew—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen—continues training. The mission aims to test the Orion spacecraft's systems with astronauts aboard during a lunar flyby.
The delay follows challenges identified during the Artemis I mission and ongoing work on the spacecraft's life support systems and heat shield. NASA officials state the priority remains crew safety, and a new schedule will be set only after all necessary milestones are met.
