NASA’s Artemis II mission should lift off in early April 2024. This mission would be the first crewed journey to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. With this inaugural flight, astronauts will orbit the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. It’s a pretty impressive milestone achieved in a very short time.
The Artemis II crew includes three American astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch. They’re joined by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They’re in for an exciting 10-day adventure! This crewed adventure will be the first to fly around the far side of the Moon and back home to our blue marble in space. NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful Moon rocket ever, will carry astronauts on this deep-space mission. It will operate in conjunction with the Orion spacecraft to further its objectives.
NASA had previously targeted March for the launch. They suffered a blow this past Sunday when a helium leak halted a “wet dress rehearsal” of the fully assembled rocket. The nonprofit organization decided against doing one final rehearsal following the rollout of the rocket to the launchpad. Without taking significant additional steps, Artemis II is looking at a two-year delay. This loss occurred primarily due to issues identified with the heat shield during the first Artemis mission, Artemis I.
This new mission will be very exciting and important! It will be the first time that humans have flown on NASA’s SLS rocket, and on the Orion capsule. The spacecraft today is sitting in front of a steel support structure that’s called a mobile launcher. NASA’s current goal is to launch Artemis II by the end of April 2026. This deadline is evidence of their deep commitment to promoting human spaceflight.
Lori Glaze, a NASA spokesperson, expressed confidence in the timeline, stating, “I am comfortable and the agency is comfortable with targeting April 1 as our first opportunity, just keep in mind we still have work to go.” She noted that, “There’s not a lot more to be gained from that,” referring to additional rehearsals.
In addressing concerns about potential risks, an unnamed source stated, “We do an outstanding job of understanding the risk, buying down the risk, mitigating the risk, and putting together controls to manage the risk.” Yet this sentiment is indicative of NASA’s monumental safety culture as they get set for this aggressive mission.
As excitement continues to grow for Artemis II, we must acknowledge the disproportionate dangers that new rocket launches pose. We know that, historically, new rockets are 50/50. Nevertheless, NASA remains optimistic. An unnamed individual remarked, “I think we’re in a much better position than that,” highlighting their confidence in the upcoming mission.