•NASA's Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the Artemis campaign, is set to launch on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center.
•US President Donald Trump framed the mission as a central pillar of his 'America First' space policy, prioritizing a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.
•The 10-day mission will send four astronauts around the Moon, marking the first human travel beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.
•Key changes include pausing the Lunar Gateway to shift $20 billion towards a permanent lunar outpost by 2030 and deploying nuclear reactors on the Moon.
•The policy emphasizes US 'space superiority' and aims to reach the lunar south pole before Chinese missions, with the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo era planned for early 2028.
