NASA Artemis II Mission: A Giant Leap Toward Moon and Mars
In an exciting move to engage space enthusiasts, NASA is inviting the public to join its historic Artemis II mission by sending their names on a journey around the Moon. Set to launch no later than April 2026, Artemis II marks NASA’s first crewed test flight in its bold Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars.
As part of the “Send Your Name with Artemis II” campaign, anyone can register their name by January 21 and have it carried aboard the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The mission’s four astronauts – NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen – will carry the names stored on an SD card as they circle the Moon and return to Earth.
Lori Glaze, Acting Associate Administrator at NASA, highlighted the mission’s significance: “Artemis II is a key step toward human exploration of deep space and an opportunity to inspire millions worldwide as we lead the way to the Moon and beyond.”
Participants will also receive a personalized digital boarding pass as a keepsake. To take part, visit:
- English boarding pass: https://go.nasa.gov/artemisnames
- Spanish boarding pass: https://go.nasa.gov/TuNombreArtemis
This approximately 10-day mission promises to be a milestone in space exploration, advancing the U.S.’s long-term goals of sustainable lunar presence and paving the way toward Mars.
