NASA’s Artemis II mission is on the brink of launching, marking a significant step in humanity’s return to deep space exploration. Final scene from Artemis II soundtrack, ‘A new Dawn’ Artemis II is scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center. This mission will be the first crewed flight for either the Space Launch System (SLS) or the Orion spacecraft. This groundbreaking mission qualifies critical technologies. It orients astronauts for an eventual return to the Moon, and beyond, farther into space than any human has traveled before.
Artemis II is currently planned to last approximately 10 days. For this mission, astronauts will be able to manually control the Orion capsule in Earth orbit. Such dexterity is required to maneuver and orient a spacecraft, an important technique that will be needed in the Artemis program’s future crewed Moon missions. The upcoming astronauts will take an incredible trip, traveling all the way out to the Moon and several thousand kilometers beyond! This mission provides a rare opportunity to test the Orion spacecraft in real deep space conditions.
Four crew members will live in about nine cubic meters of space during this mission. This arrangement very much reflects NASA’s deep-seated bias against human spaceflight. The limited volume will test Orion’s technical capabilities. Yet simultaneously, it will be testing the crew’s stamina and flexibility to extremes. Meanwhile, the astronauts are getting ready to return home. If they are selected, they’ll have an amazing experience back to Earth, culminating in a splashdown off of America’s west coast in the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis II serves as a critical precursor for future missions, particularly Artemis IV and V, which will lay the groundwork for Gateway—a small space station that will orbit the Moon. These near-term missions are open to international cooperation. To deepen international collaboration in lunar exploration, European and Japanese astronauts will be added to the mix.
NASA is currently looking at several launch dates for Artemis II. They’re considering February 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11, March 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11, and April 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The date for any eventual deployment would be subject to many factors including technical readiness and weather.
The main purpose of Artemis II will be flight-testing the Orion spacecraft’s life-support, propulsion, power, and navigation systems. This inaugural mission will set the stage for a future human landing on the lunar surface, a milestone we last accomplished during the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s. This mission is more than just achieving new milestones in space travel. Most importantly, it embodies a reinvigorated commitment to continue exploring beyond Earth and developing a long-term, sustainable human presence on other celestial bodies.