Artemis II: NASA Targets February for Historic Crewed Moon Mission
Cape Canaveral, FL – NASA is poised to launch Artemis II in February, sending four astronauts on a ten-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. This groundbreaking mission will be the first crewed flight to venture beyond low Earth orbit as the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, ushering in a new era of lunar exploration.
The crew – comprised of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen - will not land on the lunar surface during this mission. Instead, Artemis II is designed as a critical test flight to validate the performance of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft, paving the way for future lunar landings.
“They’re going at least 5,000 nautical miles (9,200Km) past the Moon, which is much higher than previous missions have gone,” explained Jeff Radigan, the lead Artemis II flight director, during a recent press briefing. This extended trajectory will allow engineers to gather valuable data on the spacecraft’s systems in deep space conditions.
Mission Details and Objectives
The astronauts will reside within the orion capsule, positioned atop the SLS rocket. Upon launch, two solid rocket boosters will propel the SLS into Earth orbit.These boosters will separate and return to Earth approximately two minutes after liftoff, having completed their primary function.
The primary objective of Artemis II is to rigorously test all critical systems – including life support, navigation, and dialogue – under the stresses of a deep space environment. Data collected during the mission will be instrumental in refining procedures and ensuring the safety and success of subsequent Artemis missions, ultimately aimed at establishing a lasting human presence on the Moon.
This mission represents a notable step forward in NASA’s Artemis program, a long-term initiative to return humans to the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars. The success of Artemis II is vital for realizing these aspiring goals.
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