Humanity has returned to the Moon. On April 1, 2026, NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center - and in this video, I walk you through the complete process of the mission from start to finish, from launch to splashdown. Whether you're a space enthusiast, an architecture and engineering nerd, or just someone who was glued to the screen watching history unfold, this breakdown is for you.

What Is the Artemis II Mission?

Artemis II is NASA's first crewed mission under the Artemis program, carrying four astronauts — NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon. It is the first time humans have left Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The Orion spacecraft served as the exploration vehicle that carried and sustained the crew, launching on NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) - the most powerful rocket ever built.

The Launch: April 1, 2026

Artemis II launched from Cape Canaveral at 6:35 p.m. ET under clear blue skies. The crew named their Orion capsule "Integrity."

After reaching Earth orbit, the rocket's upper stage boosted Orion into a highly elliptical orbit, where the crew and mission teams verified that all systems were performing as expected. During this phase, the astronauts also took manual control of the spacecraft to conduct a proximity operations demonstration using the European Service Module's engines.

Days 1–4: Journey to the Moon

After launch and separation from the SLS rocket, the crew spent their first day in space positioning Orion in a high Earth orbit for its subsequent long-haul trip to the Moon.

At 7:49 p.m. on launch day, Orion performed a translunar injection burn lasting five minutes and 49 seconds, sending the crew toward the Moon.

Day 5–6: Lunar Flyby and the Far Side of the Moon

On day five, Orion slipped into the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence, though it did not enter lunar orbit. Day six took the crew to the far side - and briefly outside of radio contact with Earth.

The European Service Module gave Orion the final push to fly almost 7,500 km beyond the Moon, swinging around it before returning home on a safe, free-return trajectory.

On day six, the crew surpassed the record for the farthest distance from Earth ever traveled by humans - previously set by Apollo 13 in 1970, at 248,655 miles from Earth.

The crew witnessed a solar eclipse from the far side of the Moon, captured the first-ever human photographs of features like the Orientale basin, and named two small craters - "Integrity," after their spacecraft, and "Carroll," after Commander Wiseman's late wife.

Days 7–9: Heading Home

After their lunar encounter, the astronauts spent the next few days preparing for their homecoming, especially atmospheric reentry, which heated the spacecraft's exterior to around 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650°C) on day 10.

Day 10: Splashdown

The Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean and was secured in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, completing the approximately 10-day mission around the Moon.

Why This Mission Matters

Artemis II tested Orion's life support systems for the first time with humans aboard, helping lay the groundwork for future crewed Artemis missions. This isn't just a milestone for NASA - it's a milestone for all of humanity. The next step, Artemis IV, is planned to put astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.