In 2026, NASA's Artemis program aims to advance lunar exploration with the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon. This mission, following the uncrewed Artemis I, will test critical systems for deep space travel and lay groundwork for future lunar surface missions like Artemis III. The crew will orbit the Moon, traveling further than any humans before, demonstrating capabilities essential for eventual crewed missions to Mars.