NASA is indeed going back to the Moon through its **Artemis program**. The upcoming mission, **Artemis II**, will be the first crewed flight of the program and the first time astronauts travel around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
### Key Details about Artemis II
- **Mission type:** Crewed lunar flyby (not a landing)
- **Crew:** Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen
- **Rocket & spacecraft:** Space Launch System (SLS) with the Orion capsule
- **Duration:** About 10 days
- **Trajectory:** Fly around the Moon at a distance of ~10,300 km before returning to Earth
- **Launch site:** Kennedy Space Center, Florida
- **Planned launch date:** No earlier than **March 7, 2026** (delayed from February due to fueling issues during a rehearsal) [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15522769/NASA-moon-mission-DELAYED-Artemis.html) [GMA Network](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/975363/nasa-s-artemis-ii-moon-mission-slips-to-march/story/) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II)
### Why It Matters
- Artemis II is a **test flight with astronauts** to validate life-support systems and deep-space operations.
- It sets the stage for **Artemis III**, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface later this decade.
- The long-term goal is to establish a **sustainable human presence on the Moon** and use it as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars. [NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/) [Space.com](https://www.space.com/artemis-2-humans-moon-orbit)
Would you like me to also walk you through the timeline of **future Artemis missions**, including when NASA plans to actually land astronauts on the Moon?
