Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, marking NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. The mission will send four astronauts on a long-distance flight around the Moon and back to Earth.
NASA plans to launch the Artemis 2 mission from Cape Canaveral at 6.24pm local time using the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission will not land on the Moon but will travel around the far side of the Moon before returning to Earth.
The mission has faced several delays in recent weeks due to technical issues including hydrogen and helium leaks. Engineers worked to resolve the problems before the scheduled launch.
The four astronauts on the mission are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Christina Koch is expected to become the first woman to travel to the Moon, while Victor Glover would become the first Black astronaut to do so.
The Artemis 2 spacecraft will travel about one million kilometres during the mission. The astronauts will fly around the far side of the Moon and come as close as 6,500 kilometres to the lunar surface before returning to Earth. The mission is expected to end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on April 10.
During the mission, NASA will monitor the astronauts’ health, including sleep patterns, immune system changes and overall physical and mental condition. The data will help scientists understand how deep space travel affects humans and support future missions to the Moon and Mars.
The Artemis programme is part of NASA’s long-term plan to return humans to the Moon and eventually build infrastructure on the lunar surface. Artemis III is planned to test docking manoeuvres with lunar landers in Earth orbit, while Artemis IV is scheduled to land astronauts on the Moon in 2028.
NASA has also announced plans to build a Moon base in phases, starting with occasional human visits before moving toward continuous human presence on the Moon in the future.
If the Artemis 2 mission is successful, NASA plans to continue crewed missions to the Moon at least once every year as part of its long-term lunar exploration programme.
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