As the launch of the Artemis II mission draws nearer, the crew and backup crew are busier than ever. Last week included challenging entry simulations, blood sampling to compare immunology before and after the mission, and collecting data to prepare Artemis III astronauts to walk on the lunar surface. | NASA Artemis

’Twas the night before launch day…✨🚀 NASA’s Artemis II mission, targeted for early 2026, will be the first crewed flight of the Artemis campaign and the first time humans journey beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo. The mission will send four astronauts aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on a roughly 10-day mission to orbit the Moon and return safely to Earth. Artemis II will rigorously test Orion’s life-support, propulsion, navigation, and communications systems i