NASA's Artemis II, the next crewed mission in the agency's return to the Moon, will be launching from the Kennedy Space Center, a little north of Cocoa Beach, our hometown. Artemis II will carry astronauts around the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era and will help provide an understanding into where we can take human spaceflight. For us on the Space Coast, this mission connects the place we live to a much larger picture, one that stretches from decades of launches here on the Space Coast to what comes next beyond Earth.
The mission will send four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft on a roughly ten day journey that loops around the Moon before returning to Earth. The Artemis II mission does not include a lunar landing. Its purpose is to take humans back into deep space and confirm that the systems designed to carry them there can operate safely and reliably with a crew onboard.
Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett: From left to right, Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot, and Christina Koch, mission specialist, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist.
In preparation for the flight, NASA teams have been running full countdown and fueling rehearsals using the Space Launch System rocket. During recent testing, engineers identified issues during fueling that required further review. Because this is the first time astronauts will fly this rocket and spacecraft together, NASA has taken a careful approach, adjusting the schedule to allow time to analyze data and make changes where needed. The current target is an early March 2026 launch window, with additional opportunities later if required.
At its core, Artemis II is about flying the complete system with people onboard. The Orion Space Capsule life support, navigation, communications, and flight controls all need to perform as expected on a real lunar trajectory. Artemis I proved the spacecraft could complete the mission without a crew. Artemis II takes the next step by putting astronauts inside and pushing farther from Earth than humans have traveled in decades.
Looking further ahead, Artemis is NASA’s long term approach to returning humans to the Moon and staying there. The program is focused on learning how to operate beyond low Earth orbit for extended periods and using the Moon as a testing ground for deeper space missions. What NASA learns through Artemis missions is intended to support future human exploration, including missions to Mars. Artemis II is a necessary step before astronauts attempt to land on the Moon again.
For us on the Space Coast, this is a crewed mission launching from our local spaceport. It continues a long line of human spaceflight that has happened here for decades and makes the scale of what’s next feel real. We’re stoked to witness it from our backyard.
This moment also coincides with a Space Coast tee we’re releasing on February 7 in celebration of the mission. The graphic is designed to look like a vintage postcard, pulling together familiar parts of this area with the rocket at the center. It reflects how deeply the Space Program is woven into life here. The Space Coast would not be what it is today without decades of launches shaping the region, and the design is a quiet nod to that history.
