Artemis 2 crew could break a 55-year spaceflight record

Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Feb. 5, 2026, with four crew including Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen; the mission will fly around the Moon on Feb. 10 and return Feb. 15 and could surpass Apollo 13's decades-old distance record.

Artemis 2 is the planned first crewed flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft, with a launch window opening no earlier than Feb. 5, 2026. The four-person crew — Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will fly around the Moon and return to Earth. The mission will test life support systems, Orion's maneuverability, and include medical and scientific studies during the multi-day trip. It also offers the closest human observations of the Moon in more than 50 years. Known details: - The launch window is scheduled to open no earlier than Feb. 5, 2026, with a planned lunar flyby on Feb. 10 and an Earth return by Feb. 15. - The crew consists of Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. - This will be the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft and is a multi-day round-trip to assess performance with a full crew on board. - Mission tasks include verifying life support, testing maneuverability, and conducting medical and scientific research, along with close human observations of the Moon. - The flight could exceed the distance-from-Earth record set during the Apollo era, a record that has stood for decades. - Artemis 2 is intended to advance preparations for Artemis 3, which is planned as a lunar landing mission near the Moon's south pole. Summary: If the current schedule holds, Artemis 2 would launch in early February 2026, complete a lunar flyby on Feb. 10 and return by Feb. 15. The mission could set a new distance record and will provide crewed-system performance and scientific data intended to inform plans for Artemis 3.