NASA is getting ready to launch its long awaited Artemis II mission within the next month from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This final mission is planned for no worse than the end of April. It’s an exciting and historic step in humanity’s return to the Moon since it will be the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) and accompanying Orion spacecraft.
The Artemis II mission will be approximately 10 days in duration. Four astronauts are in for an exciting and history-making ride into space! During their mission, they will live in a habitat of about nine cubic meters on the Orion spacecraft. This mission aims to thoroughly test the Orion’s handling during various phases of flight, ensuring its systems function effectively as future Moon landings are planned.
During their initial Earth orbit, the astronauts will take manual control of the spacecraft. Though it’s highly automated, they’ll drive it manually for the duration of their mission. This practice will get them familiar with navigating and guiding the Orion to future Moon landings. The crew will be the first humans to go beyond the Moon. They’ll travel a quarter of a million kilometers away to test Orion’s life-support systems, propulsion, power-generation, and navigation systems.
The Artemis II astronauts will be tasked with meeting the exhilarating challenges of human space travel. They shouldn’t count on a smooth ride back home through Earth’s atmosphere. They’ll end their mission as all cool space missions do—with a dramatic splashdown. Their landing will be in the Pacific Ocean, just off the U.S. west coast.
The Artemis II mission is critical to NASA’s long-term lunar exploration plans. It clears the path to future crewed missions that will take place well past Artemis II. European astronauts are preparing themselves to participate in the coming Artemis missions. At the same time, Japan has won seats for its own astronauts as well! This unique collaboration highlights the international interest in lunar exploration.
We’re at an incredible moment in history with NASA’s Artemis program. Artemis IV and V are just around the corner from launching the construction of Gateway, a small space station that will orbit the Moon. Gateway will provide an important hub for astronauts traveling to and from the lunar surfaces. This improvement will increase NASA’s ability to conduct long-duration missions on the lunar surface.