What is the name of the spacecraft designed to carry astronauts for NASA's Artemis II mission?

NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon, building a foundation (Review) for future deep space exploration, including missions to Mars. The Artemis II mission is a crucial step in this endeavor, marking the first time astronauts will journey around the Moon in over 50 years. This historic flight will rely on a specialized spacecraft designed for deep space travel.

The spacecraft carrying the four-person crew for Artemis II is named Orion. Built by NASA with Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor and featuring a European Service Module from Airbus Defence and Space, Orion is engineered to endure the harsh environment of deep space. It is equipped with advanced life support systems, robust communication capabilities, and comprehensive radiation shielding to keep its crew safe far beyond Earth's orbit.

Orion's design allows it to support a crew of four for up to 21 days in free flight and even longer when docked to a larger habitat like the proposed Lunar Gateway. The Artemis II mission, a 10-day lunar flyby, will serve as a critical test of Orion's systems with astronauts aboard, validating its performance before subsequent missions aim for lunar landings. The spacecraft will orbit Earth twice to conduct system checkouts before heading towards the Moon, where it will perform a free-return trajectory, using the Moon's gravity to slingshot back to Earth.