Since it was formally established in 2017, NASA’s Artemis program has been a bold initiative to return humanity to the moon and eventually prepare for Mars. At the center of this journey is Artemis II, scheduled for launch in 2026, which will carry astronauts to our lunar neighbor.
Although the spacecraft won’t make a landing on the lunar surface, it will still come closer to the moon than any other crewed shuttle since Apollo 17 in 1972. In fact, this will be the furthest from the Earth that any human will have ventured for the past 53 years.
What will this mission entail? And are there are other crewed missions planned after that? Click on to find out.