The four Artemis II astronauts named their Orion spacecraft Integrity, and they did fly it around the Moon. The mission launched on April 1, 2026, swung past the far side of the Moon on April 6 and splashed down in the Pacific on April 10. Here is who was aboard, why they picked that name, what the flight achieved and what NASA plans next.
Who flew on Integrity
Artemis II was the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis program and the first time people traveled to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut made up the crew.
Commander, NASA
Pilot, NASA
Mission specialist, NASA
Mission specialist, Canadian Space Agency
The flight carried several firsts. Koch became the first woman and Glover the first Black astronaut to fly on a lunar mission, and Hansen became the first Canadian, and the first person from outside the United States, to travel to the Moon.
Why the crew chose the name Integrity
NASA announced the name at a news conference on September 24, 2025. Naming a crewed spacecraft revives an Apollo era habit, when crews picked names such as Columbia for the Apollo 11 command module so the two vehicles of each mission could be told apart on the radio.
The crew explained that the word sums up the values they wanted the mission to stand for: trust, respect, candor and humility among the astronauts and the thousands of people who built and supported the spacecraft. Integrity is also a core value for both NASA’s astronaut corps and the Canadian Space Agency. The word comes from a Latin root that means whole, which the astronauts tied to the idea of many parts, including more than 300,000 spacecraft components, coming together as one vehicle and one team.
Artemis II mission timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Sept. 24, 2025 | Crew reveals the name Integrity for their Orion capsule |
| April 1, 2026 | Liftoff on the SLS rocket at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center |
| April 2, 2026 | Translunar injection burn sends Integrity toward the Moon |
| April 6, 2026 | Lunar flyby, passing 4,067 miles above the surface and behind the far side |
| April 10, 2026 | Splashdown at 5:07 p.m. PDT in the Pacific off San Diego |
| April 11, 2026 | Crew returns to Houston |
What the flight achieved
Artemis II was a test flight, so its main job was to prove that Orion can keep a crew safe in deep space before NASA attempts more complex missions. At its farthest point the crew was 252,756 miles from Earth, beating the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. In total the spacecraft covered close to 700,000 miles.
Along the way the astronauts photographed the near side of the Moon, captured an Earthset over the lunar horizon, recorded a solar eclipse from behind the Moon and spoke with the crew of the International Space Station. NASA’s own summary notes that they also had to work through problems with the onboard toilet, a reminder of why test flights exist.
After splashdown, a joint NASA and U.S. military recovery team helped the astronauts out of the capsule and flew them by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for medical checks. Orion itself was hoisted aboard for the trip back to shore.
What comes next after Artemis II
NASA has changed the plan for Artemis III. Announced in June 2026, the mission is now targeted for 2027 and will stay in low Earth orbit rather than land on the Moon. Orion will launch on SLS and practice rendezvous and docking with test versions of the lunar landers being built by Blue Origin and SpaceX, a key step before a crew trusts one of those landers near the Moon.
The Artemis III crew is Randy Bresnik as commander, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency as pilot, and Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists, with Bob Hines as backup. NASA describes Artemis IV, planned for 2028, as the first crewed mission to the lunar South Pole.
FAQ
Did Artemis II land on the Moon?
No. Artemis II was a flyby. Integrity looped around the Moon and returned to Earth without entering lunar orbit or landing.
Why is the spacecraft called Integrity?
The crew chose the name to reflect trust, respect, candor and humility, values shared by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, and the idea of many parts forming one whole.
How long did Artemis II last?
Nearly 10 days, from launch on April 1, 2026, to splashdown on April 10, 2026.
When will astronauts land on the Moon again?
Not before Artemis IV. NASA lists it for 2028 as the first crewed mission to the lunar South Pole, after Artemis III tests the landers in Earth orbit in 2027.
The verdict
Integrity did what its crew hoped. The capsule carried four astronauts farther from Earth than anyone had gone before and brought them home safely, giving NASA the confidence to move on to lander tests in 2027 and a South Pole mission after that.
Updated October 2026: rewritten after the completed Artemis II mission, with the crew, the meaning of the Integrity name, the flight timeline and NASA’s current Artemis III and IV plans.
Featured photo: Mike Petrucci on Unsplash.
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