Artemis II Lunar Flyby

Artemis II achieved the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972, ending a 54-year gap. The four-person crew, including the first Canadian astronaut beyond low Earth orbit, launched on April 1, 2026, aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1 rocket, which generated 8.8 million pounds of thrust. Orion reached 370,000 kilometers from Earth—farther than any crewed spacecraft since Apollo—and its systems performed flawlessly. Outperforming #2 Starship V3's readiness timeline, this 10-day mission validated the SLS-Orion stack for deep space, clearing the path for Artemis III's lunar surface landing. With 18 experiments and Victor Glover as the first African American beyond Earth orbit, the $4.1 billion mission unlocked funding for Artemis III through V, marking the most pivotal gate in NASA's 21st-century strategy.