NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are documented lifting off in an image dated April 1, 2026, associated with the Artemis II mission. The launch photo, credited to NASA/Aubrey Gemignani, shows SLS and Orion departing on a trajectory that will send a four-person crew on a journey around the Moon and back, marking the start of an approximately 10-day mission.
Artemis II will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy, aboard Orion for the lunar flyby. NASA characterizes Artemis II as its first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years and describes the mission as a 10-day flight designed to test deep space systems and support future Moon landings, according to its Artemis II mission overview.
Throughout Orion’s roughly 10-day journey around the Moon, NASA states that Artemis II will rely on its Near Space Network and Deep Space Network as the primary communications infrastructure, as detailed in documentation on the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) at nasa.gov. NASA also positions the SLS rocket, used for this April 1 liftoff, as part of the agency’s backbone for deep space exploration within the Artemis program, underscoring its role in launching crewed missions like Artemis II toward the Moon.
Original source: https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/artemis-ii-astronauts-launch-to-moon/