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NASA’s Artemis II is planned as the first crewed Artemis mission and the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft.
NASA and partner agencies describe a roughly 10-day mission with an early phase in Earth orbit, a translunar burn, a lunar flyby, and a return to Earth.
The crew is set to include Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
Exact timing can shift with the final launch date, but the main daily milestones and priorities are now broadly defined.

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NASA’s Artemis II mission is designed as a crewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft on a free-return path around the Moon. The flight is expected to last about 10 days. Mission planners have published key in-flight milestones that outline how the crew’s daily agenda is expected to unfold, from early checkouts in Earth orbit to a lunar flyby and a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

## A mission built around tests, not a landing

Artemis II is planned as a crewed lunar flyby. It is not a landing mission.

NASA’s main goal is to verify that Orion and its life-support, navigation, communications, power, and propulsion systems perform as designed with astronauts on board in deep space. The mission also supports future Artemis flights by collecting operational data, practicing procedures, and validating how teams on the ground work with a crew far beyond low Earth orbit.

The four astronauts assigned to Artemis II are commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

## Flight Day 1: Launch, orbit insertion, and first system checks

After liftoff from Florida, Orion is expected to reach an initial Earth orbit. Early tasks typically include confirming spacecraft health, verifying communications links, and checking the cabin environment and life-support performance with the crew on board.

Soon after reaching orbit, teams also focus on power management, thermal control, and navigation setup. Crew procedures can include suit and cabin checks, initial housekeeping, and preparing for the next set of burns that shape Orion’s path away from Earth.

## Flight Day 2: High Earth orbit and the translunar injection burn

Artemis II’s plan includes a step where Orion spends about a day in a high Earth orbit before a major engine burn sends it toward the Moon.

This day is expected to be heavily focused on verifying Orion’s readiness for deep space. That can include guidance and navigation checks, propulsion system verification, and step-by-step reviews of contingency procedures.

The translunar injection burn is the key transition. Once completed, Orion begins its multi-day coast to the Moon.

## Flight Days 3–5: Outbound coast, crew routines, and science observations

During the cruise phase, daily agendas are expected to combine operational testing with crew health and routine spacecraft work.

Typical priorities include monitoring the spacecraft’s environmental control and life support, confirming radiation and thermal conditions, and executing smaller trajectory correction maneuvers if needed.

NASA has also described plans for the crew to carry out science observations during the lunar flyby portion of the mission. The exact targets and lighting conditions depend on the final launch date and the precise trajectory selected for that window.

Public engagement events may also be scheduled during this period. Canadian mission materials describe planned connection events involving Jeremy Hansen on multiple mid-mission days.

## Flight Day 6: Lunar flyby and far-side operations

The lunar flyby is expected around the middle of the mission.

Orion’s path is planned as a free-return style trajectory around the Moon, meaning lunar gravity helps set the spacecraft on a natural return toward Earth. During the flyby, Orion is expected to pass thousands of kilometers from the Moon’s surface. This portion can include intensive navigation and observation work, as well as photography and planned lunar science activities.

Mission teams also use this phase to validate deep-space communications and operational timelines when the spacecraft is very far from Earth.

## Flight Days 7–9: Return cruise, re-entry preparation, and final checkouts

After the flyby, the agenda shifts toward the trip home.

Key work typically includes continued spacecraft monitoring, additional system performance tests, and any remaining objectives that can be completed during the return coast. The crew and ground teams also prepare for Earth re-entry through reviews of procedures, spacecraft configuration steps, and planning for recovery operations.

## Flight Day 10: Earth re-entry and Pacific splashdown

The final day is expected to include the last major steps before landing.

Orion’s crew module will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed, then descend under parachutes for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Recovery teams are expected to secure the capsule and bring the astronauts aboard recovery vessels for initial medical checks before transport.

## What could still change

While the overall agenda and milestone structure are set, exact day-by-day timing can move based on the final launch date, weather, range availability, and the specific trajectory chosen for the launch window. NASA has also said it will provide public tracking for Orion during the mission through an online orbit-tracking tool once the flight is underway.

AI Perspective

Artemis II’s agenda is structured like a systems test plan, with the Moon flyby serving as the proving ground for how Orion performs with a crew. The most important “daily” story is not a single experiment, but whether life support, navigation, and operations hold up across many continuous days in deep space. If the mission runs as planned, it becomes a practical template for how later crews will work farther from Earth and for longer periods.