Lockheed Martin has completed the assembly and testing of the Orion Artemis II spacecraft for NASA. This spacecraft will carry astronauts to the Moon for a 10-day mission, marking the first crewed lunar voyage in over 50 years.
The Artemis II mission, scheduled for early 2026, will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen 4,600 miles beyond the Moon. Orion includes new life support systems, advanced controls, and an experimental laser communication system.
Following completion, NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team will prepare Orion for launch at Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft will undergo final preparations, including propellant loading and integration with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The mission aims to evaluate spacecraft performance, test navigation, and practice docking for future Artemis missions.