Orion spacecraft shows what life aboard Artemis II will be like.

Four astronauts will live inside NASA's Orion for about 10 days on Artemis II to test whether the capsule can sustain human life during a lunar flyaround.

Four astronauts will spend about 10 days inside NASA's Orion capsule during the Artemis II mission to test the spacecraft as a living habitat. The flight will loop around the moon and carry the crew farther from Earth than typical low-Earth missions. Orion is a compact cabin of roughly 330 cubic feet that must function as cockpit, lab, dining area, bathroom, and lifeboat all at once. The mission is NASA's first crewed flight beyond low-Earth orbit in more than half a century and is a critical demonstration before planned moon landings later this decade. Key facts about life aboard Orion: - Crew: Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen will live in the capsule for the flight. - Duration and mission: The crew will spend about 10 days aboard during a lunar flyaround; the mission could launch as early as April 1. - Cabin and amenities: The capsule offers about 330 cubic feet of interior volume, six windows, a compact kitchenette with a hot plate for rehydrated pouches, and a small exercise device (a flywheel) near the hatch. - Sanitation and shelter: The main toilet occupies about 5 cubic feet beneath the floor and can be curtained for privacy; a shielded stowage cavity under the floor is available as a radiation shelter during the outbound journey. - Systems and operations: Astronauts will run demonstrations, monitor life-support systems, and study how exercise vibrations affect steering and how systems handle carbon dioxide and humidity spikes. - Emergency and recovery: The crew will wear orange survival suits for re-entry that carry supplies for up to 144 hours, and Orion will return by parachute for maritime recovery by Navy divers and an inflatable raft. Summary: Artemis II will test whether Orion can reliably sustain humans in a compact deep-space environment, serving multiple roles from crew quarters to emergency shelter. Outcomes of the 10-day mission will inform the program's next steps for crewed lunar operations; the specific follow-up actions are undetermined at this time.