NASA’s next highly-anticipated Artemis II mission is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than March 6, 2024. Together, these missions mark an incredible moment for space exploration. This mission will carry astronauts farther into deep space than anyone has ever traveled. First, it will safely enable NASA-led piloted lunar landings in the coming years and promote deeper international partnership on and around the Moon.
The Artemis II mission itself will be only about ten days long. It will be the first crewed flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. The crew is just beginning what will be a historic venture. At its highest point, they will be over 40,000 kilometers beyond the far side of the Moon. The purpose of this mission is to evaluate and validate Orion’s life-support, propulsion, power and navigation systems in real time. It also collects important information that will inform future missions.
The launch windows for Artemis II are extremely precise, due to the need to match up with the Moon’s orbit. Their first launch opportunity begins on March 6. From there, you have four more opportunities in the first half of March and five other windows during the first week of April. These tactical times save costs and improve a mission’s success by having the best travel conditions available.
During their high-profile ten-day mission, the astronauts will live and work in about nine cubic meters of habitat inside Orion’s crew capsule. They are going to be medical guinea pigs. They will provide invaluable information and imagery returned from the depths of space, helping to inform future initiatives with human spaceflight endeavors. They will work on determining the performance of the Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit. This thorough evaluation will help guarantee safety and reliability on future missions.
Artemis II is a key part of NASA’s mission. It clears the way for the first-ever crewed moon landing to follow soon afterwards. Future Artemis IV and V will actively build Gateway. More than just a small space station orbiting the Moon, it will increase our capacity to operate and sustain a long-term, human presence in cislunar space.
The Artemis program does have some scientifically exciting components. In doing so, it hopes to foster global collaboration by encouraging countries to work with one another on lunar exploration. The ultimate vision is to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon, enabling people to live and work there for longer durations.
The mission will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This event would constitute yet another successful chapter in NASA’s ambitious Action Plan for assertive post-pandemic guided space exploration.