The objective is to return astronauts to lunar orbit for the initial time since 1972.
The objective is to return astronauts to lunar orbit for the initial time since 1972.
NASA’s Artemis II mission, which aims to send four astronauts toward the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, successfully took off on Wednesday evening.
The Artemis II expedition, part of NASA’s Artemis initiative aimed at facilitating human return to the Moon as soon as 2028, will have the crew orbiting the Moon on the first manned flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The crew members, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, will journey aboard the Orion crew capsule, with the entire mission projected to take 10 days. The mission faced a delay in February due to issues with helium supply.
Recently, NASA adjusted its timeline for a Moon landing, moving the anticipated 2027 Artemis III mission from a landing to a test flight. The next planned attempt to set foot on the lunar surface will be through the Artemis IV mission, scheduled for 2028. The last lunar landing by NASA occurred during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The Artemis I mission, an uncrewed endeavor that saw the SLS launch the Orion capsule around the Moon, took place in 2022.
While I compose this, NASA is live streaming the Artemis II launch on Twitch and YouTube, and providing live updates on the NASA website for those who wish to follow along.
