NASA is working to advance the Artemis 2 mission.

NASA is pushing forward the timeline to return to the Moon before China and is aiming to bring forward the launch of the Artemis II mission to February (previously scheduled for April 2026). The mission will see four astronauts fly around the Moon to prepare for the subsequent return to its surface with the Artemis III landing . The announcement was made at a press conference at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The launch date for Artemis II is still unclear , but if the test campaign goes smoothly and offers all the necessary safety guarantees , then the first available launch window could open as early as February 5 , according to Lakiesha Hawkins, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Development Directorate. While acknowledging the strong geopolitical pressures the US space agency is under, Hawkins stressed that the crew's safety remains the priority . The ten-day mission "will be a flight test from which we will have a lot to learn," Hawkins added. The program calls for the Orion capsule to complete one orbit around Earth, or two if necessary to complete all checks. The close flyby of the Moon will last approximately two hours : the closest approach will be determined once the precise launch date of the mission is known. Reentry to Earth is planned to follow a free-return trajectory, without the need for propulsion. The crewed capsule, held in place by parachutes, will finally plunge into the Pacific Ocean, near the coast of San Diego, where a ship with a recovery team will be waiting. Also as part of the Artemis program, NASA has decided to entrust the company Blue Origin with transporting the Viper (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) rover to the lunar south pole. The rover will search for volatile resources such as ice and collect scientific data to support future exploration of the Moon and Mars. The launch, scheduled for late 2027 , will represent the second 'lunar delivery' of Blue Origin, which at the end of this year will launch NASA's stereoscopic cameras for studies of the lunar surface and the laser retroreflection system also in the lunar south pole region.