The landmark mission, dubbed Artemis II, is on track to lift off as soon as February. Instead, Artemis II aims to test and verify the various systems and components of the crew’s spacecraft, called Orion. Isaac Watson/NASAUnlike the Apollo missions that entered low-lunar orbit, Artemis II will use a flight path better suited to Orion’s design and mass. Darlene Beville of contractor ASRC Federal inspects the Artemis II heat shield in July 2020. The next giant leapThe Artemis II astronauts will be far from passive passengers during their 10-day trek.

Source: CNN December 31, 2025 17:01 UTC