NASA invites you to send your name to the moon
Any fun trips planned for 2026?
Why not send your name on NASA Artemis II to circle the Moon, farther than humans have ever traveled away from Earth.
It’s as easy as signing up for your own boarding pass: https://www3.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/
About the Artemis II
Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed test flight in the Artemis campaign.
Four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, will fly aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft and confirm the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed in the deep space environment.
The Artemis missions will allow astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and help build momentum for the first crewed missions to Mars.
How close will the Artemis II get to the moon
Exactly how close the Artemis II crew will fly to the Moon will depend on when they launch.
The Moon will be in a different spot for each of the possible launch dates, and the exact distance will change accordingly, ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 miles above the lunar surface.At this distance the Moon will appear to the crew to be about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.
The closest the crew will come to the lunar surface will be when Orion flies behind the Moon. At this point, the crew will lose communication with the Earth for anywhere from 30-50 minutes, depending on when they launched. During that time, they will be taking photos and video of the Moon’s far side and making observations to be shared with scientists on the ground after they regain communication.
Around this time, the Artemis II crew is expected to break the distance record set by Apollo 13 for the farthest any humans have ever been from Earth.
Launch day is estimated at early February 2026
