when will the astronauts reach the moon

The astronauts are expected to reach the Moon during NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is a crewed flyby rather than a landing. Based on the latest reports, the mission has launched and is on its way to lunar orbit, with the closest lunar pass expected about four days after departure.

Quick Scoop

Artemis II is scheduled to circle the Moon and return to Earth, not land on it. One report says the crew should come within about 6,000 miles of the Moon on April 6, 2026, while NASA’s mission update says the translunar injection burn is what sends the astronauts toward the Moon for the first time since 1972.

What this means

• If you mean “reach the Moon” by getting there in flight: they should arrive at lunar distance about 4 days after launch.

• If you mean “set foot on the Moon”: that is tied to Artemis III , which several reports still place around 2028 , though timelines have slipped before.

Timing details

Mission| What happens| Current timing reported
---|---|---
Artemis II| Crew flies around the Moon and returns| Early April 2026, with lunar flyby about 4 days after launch 15
Artemis III| First crewed landing in the Artemis program| Officially 2028, but some reports note possible further delay 17

If you want, I can also give you the exact day-by-day Artemis II timeline in plain language.