NASA's Artemis II mission, which aims to carry a crew of astronauts on a lunar flyby, has been delayed. The mission, a critical precursor to returning humans to the lunar surface, was originally targeted for launch in late 2024 but has been postponed to allow for additional testing and development of spacecraft systems.
The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Hansen's participation is part of Canada's contribution to the Artemis program via the Canadarm3 robotic arm system, and he is set to become the first non-American to travel into deep lunar space.
As of April 2026, NASA has not announced a new official launch date for the Artemis II mission. The agency states that crew safety remains the top priority, and the schedule will be adjusted based on the readiness of the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket, and ground systems.
The mission will not land on the moon but will instead perform a figure-eight maneuver around it, testing key systems ahead of the planned Artemis III lunar landing mission.
