For the first time in over 50 years, astronauts will launch toward the Moon. NASA has opened the doors for journalists to witness it.
Artemis II is set for early 2026, and it's not a symbolic mission. Four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch from NASA, plus Canadian Jeremy Hansen—will spend roughly 10 days looping around the Moon and back to Earth. This is the test flight that validates whether the systems built to carry humans to deep space actually work.
The crew launches from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft, riding the Space Launch System rocket—the most powerful rocket NASA has built since Saturn V. If Artemis II succeeds, it clears the path for humans to actually land on the lunar surface again, and eventually reach Mars.
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Media accreditation is now open. Non-U.S. citizen journalists need to apply by November 30, while U.S. citizen media have until December 8. If you already have annual Kennedy Space Center credentials, you'll still need to request specific access for this launch—it's not automatic.
Accredited journalists get more than just launch day access. You'll see the integrated rocket and spacecraft display weeks before liftoff, the kind of pre-launch events that show the scale of what's being built. Spots are limited due to demand, so applications are competitive.
To apply, head to https://media.ksc.nasa.gov. Questions go to [email protected], or call Kennedy Space Center's newsroom at +1 321-867-2468.
This isn't just a NASA moment. It's a Canadian moment too—Hansen is the first non-American to fly beyond low Earth orbit. It's a moment where the machinery of exploration gets real again, where the promise of the next era of space travel moves from PowerPoint slides to the launchpad.
