NASA’s Artemis II mission is set to take humans back to the lunar vicinity for the first time in over five decades, but there’s a catch: the crew will not be landing on the Moon. While the four chosen astronauts will travel further into space than any human in history, they are destined to stay inside the Orion spacecraft for the duration of the journey.

The reason behind this is that Artemis II is designed as a “crewed flight test.” NASA’s primary goal for this specific mission is to verify that all of Orion’s life-support systems and communication networks work perfectly with humans on board in deep space. Think of it as a high-stakes dress rehearsal. By performing a “lunar flyby” rather than a landing, NASA minimizes risk while gathering critical data needed for the subsequent Artemis III mission, which will actually see humans return to the lunar surface. It’s a calculated move to ensure that when we finally do step back on the Moon, we are there to stay.