Artemis II Preflight

NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, left, Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, pose for a picture showing the Freedom 250 Commemorative Patch on their flight suits, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The patch honors America’s 250th anniversary of declaring independence, establishing a sovereign nation. The theme of NASA’s celebration is “Rocket’s Red Glare” which references the iconic lyric within the Star-Spangled Banner, our national anthem. NASA’s Artemis II test flight will take Glover, Koch, Wiseman, and Hansen around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)