The crew
Orion carried NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch, together with Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
The journey
Artemis II launched on 1 April 2026. The crew checked Orion’s systems, flew past the Moon on 6 April and returned to the Pacific Ocean on 10 April. The flight did not include a lunar landing.
Why the test matters
The flight allowed teams to assess Orion, the SLS rocket and crewed deep-space operations. The European Service Module supplied propulsion, electricity and essential support to the spacecraft.