Artemis II marked a huge step for NASA and humanity, launched on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the powerful SLS rocket. The mission sent four brave astronauts on a 9-day, 1-hour, 32-minute trip around the farthest point from Earth, circling the Moon's far side without landing.

President Donald Trump welcomed the Artemis II astronauts Wednesday, April 29, to the White House, where he praised their mission around the moon.

They didn't get a parade, but they're certainly being paraded on the big networks.

The plumbing issues aboard the Orion capsule became headline news in the early days of the historic Artemis II mission.

Mike Massimino is a retired NASA astronaut and veteran of two Space Shuttle missions.

After Artemis 2, NASA's moon return hinges on two unproven commercial landers, each of which faces major technical and timeline challenges.