NASA’s four-member Artemis II crew entered their Orion spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center on July 31 for a multi-day training exercise, marking the first time astronauts have worked inside the fully powered capsule that will carry humans around the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen donned Orion crew-survival suits, completed communications and leak checks, and rehearsed launch-day procedures while connected to the spacecraft’s life-support and communications systems. Engineers simulated contingencies—including air-revitalization and cabin-leak failures—to give the crew hands-on practice managing potential in-flight anomalies. The exercise also allowed ground teams to verify hardware compatibility and fine-tune flight-controller procedures before the capsule is moved to its launch pad. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said the milestone keeps the agency on track for the mission’s target date in early 2026, when Artemis II is scheduled to loop around the Moon and test systems needed for subsequent lunar landings and eventual Mars expeditions.