NASA’s Artemis II mission is on the brink of reaching an exciting new milestone in space exploration. It is preparing for the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion deep-space exploration space capsule. This pioneering mission will last approximately 10 days. Most importantly, it will carry four astronauts further into outer space than any human has ever traveled!
Meet the Artemis II crew, four astronauts who will embark on a truly exciting mission. Among them is Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian to go to the Moon and American astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jessica Watkins. Together, they will inhabit a living space of about nine cubic meters during their journey, conducting crucial experiments and tests that will contribute to future lunar missions.
Throughout their time in orbit, the astronauts will serve as medical test subjects, sending back valuable data and imagery from deep space. They’ll be assessing how well its Orion spacecraft performs, specifically how nimble it’ll be. The mission includes flying the capsule manually while in orbit around Earth. This practice is essential for guiding and orienting the spacecraft to prepare for future landings on the Moon.
The Orion spacecraft itself consists of two main sections: the crew module, which constitutes roughly half of the spacecraft’s total size, and a service module comparable in size. This compact design will work in concert with the 98-meter (320-foot) SLS rocket to provide deep space exploration. The SLS rocket is the launch vehicle for this historic mission.
Even as they make plans for their return to Earth, the astronauts are cautioned about a potentially bumpy ride as they reenter the atmosphere. Their adventure will be brought to a spectacular close with a splashdown off America’s west coast in the Pacific Ocean. This crucial phase of the mission will test both the spacecraft’s capabilities and the crew’s resilience as they return from their historic journey.
Yet the Artemis II mission is not a one-off endeavor. It forms an incredibly important pillar for safely returning humans back to the Moon. NASA is getting ready to broaden its exploration horizons in a big way. They’re counting on a second lunar landing via Artemis V by 2028. The mission becomes the first steps towards a human’s return to the lunar surface. As it stands, it would be the first time we’ve returned there since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.