NASA’s Artemis II mission is preparing to embark on an exciting journey beyond Earth’s orbit. This will be the first crewed flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and their Orion spacecraft. With science operations lasting approximately 10 days, this mission will be relatively short. A diverse crew of four astronauts will boldly venture further into deep space than any humans have ever traveled.
The Artemis II crew will be seated in a unique configuration, reclined in two rows of two, facing upwards with their backs to the ground. This mission-specific layout is meant to provide the utmost comfort and efficiency during the mission. The astronauts will be living in only about nine cubic meters of space, once they’re aboard the Orion spacecraft. They’ll test new systems, designing, manufacturing, and testing these critical systems, including life support, propulsion, power, and navigation.
The Artemis II mission is likely to launch on any number of possible dates. February 6, 7, 8, or 10 or 11 March 6, 7, 8, 9 or 11 April 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6 Mark your calendars! The earliest opportunity for launch would be Friday morning, February 6. The mission is now poised to carry out a lunar flyby and return all that science data. After that, it will travel to a location thousands of kilometers past the Moon.
NASA wants to stimulate a new era in human space exploration through this mission. It too intends to collect critical information that will help inform future missions. The Artemis II astronauts will become the first humans to test how the Orion spacecraft performs under different conditions on its path. As they navigate through this new frontier, they’ll gain invaluable knowledge to help guide future missions.
The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, a historic step on the path of NASA’s Artemis program to return humans to the Moon. Following Artemis II, subsequent missions—Artemis IV and V—will focus on building the Gateway, a small space station intended to orbit the Moon.
Of the 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon previously, only five are still alive today. The importance of the incoming mission The next term will be critical. Yet, it will have profound effects on the legacy and on future pursuits of human space exploration. Now, with Artemis II, NASA is at a vital inflection point. It drives its mission on toward establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon and beyond.