Artemis 2 will follow a figure-8-shaped path that will send astronauts around the Moon before returning them to Earth. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly

Artemis 2 will use the SLS to send a crew of four aboard an Orion spacecraft on a 10-day mission looping within 4,600 miles (7,400 km) of the Moon.

The crew consists of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Koch will be the first woman to travel to the Moon, and Hansen will be the first non-American to make the journey. The quartet have spent a total of 660 days in space on long-duration missions to the International Space Station and have 12 spacewalks between them.

Before departing for the Moon, Artemis 2 will enter a high-altitude 24-hour Earth orbit to check out the Orion spacecraft systems. After separating from the SLS upper stage, the crew will take manual control, turn Orion around, and approach the upper stage in a simulated docking to see how the craft handles in close quarters. Then Orion will turn around and light its Service Module engine, setting off for the Moon.

Artemis 2 Mission Map

Artemis 2 Flight Path

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Artemis 2 flight path

Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly