NASA is getting ready for its Artemis II mission. This flight will be the first uncrewed journey using the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft. In addition to the crucial science packed into this small time frame, this monumental mission will last approximately ten days. A crew of four brave astronauts will embark on this journey to test the spacecraft’s capabilities and systems in deep space.
With the Artemis II mission, we are excited to celebrate this diverse international team of astronauts. Among them are Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, who makes the Canadian Space Agency proud. During the mission, the crew will spend ten days in a confined living space of about nine cubic meters, simulating conditions for future lunar expeditions.
During the mission, the astronauts will perform critical tests on Orion’s life-support, propulsion, power and navigation systems. They’ll also test the hand-maneuvering capsule while in orbit around planet Earth. This procedure allows them to maneuver and orient the spacecraft to prepare for upcoming Moon landings. As such, the crew will be flying thousands of kilometers beyond the Moon. There, they will assemble deep space metrics and data from the spacecraft to determine how it is performing.
NASA is preparing to launch Artemis II on one of a few promising dates. Targeted dates are February 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11; March 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11; and April 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The first possible launch date would be this Friday, February 6. NASA said it is targeting the end of January for its next wet dress rehearsal. This major move will make sure that all systems are go in advance of the public launch.
The upcoming Artemis II mission is key to the agency’s strategy. Its long-term goal is to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 1960’s and 70’s. Future Artemis missions, particularly IV and V, are set to help establish Gateway. This miniature space station will fly around the Moon. This base will support human exploration of the lunar surface and beyond.