As soon as the first week of February, NASA may send its first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years. The 10-day, or so, Artemis II mission will take astronauts farther into space than humans have ever been.
The mission is a crucial step towards sending astronauts back to the Moon, something that hasn’t happened since the 1960s and 1970s Apollo program. Artemis II will liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on NASA. The official launch window begins on 6 February and continues through the spring, with a final date to be determined as the inspection of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft and ground support systems are completed.
The crew for Artemis II is comprised of four individuals: NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. The mission will also be the first that humans will fly on board the SLS rocket and Orion capsule.
Orion will be tested for handling in orbit, with the crew manually steering and navigating the spacecraft, honing their ability to fly it to the moon. They will go to a place thousands of kilometers from the Moon where they will test systems of life support, propulsion, power and navigation. The crew will also be subjected to medical tests during the mission, providing data and images from deep space.
The cabin will be compact and lightweight, and the radiation levels will be higher than those on the ISS, but not dangerous. The astronauts will re-enter and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean (west coast USA).
Artemis II won’t be landing on the Moon. That first milestone is for Artemis III, which was originally scheduled no earlier than 2027, although some experts believe it might only take a year longer. The lunar lander is still not specified, and could either be SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s. New spacesuits are also in development by U.S. company Axiom. Artemis III will bring humans to the south pole of the Moon and pave the way for a long-term human presence. Artemis IV and V will see the assembly of the Gateway space station and the further expansion of humanity on and around the Moon.
Apollo 17 was the final manned lunar landing mission in December 1972. 24 astronauts have gone to the Moon, 12 of whom have walked on its surface. The difference between the two is that Apollo was motivated by geopolitical rivalry with the Soviet Union, whereas the Artemis is about long-term exploration, advanced technology and international partnerships.
Other nations are also aiming for Moon missions in the 2030s as well. Later Artemis flights are planned with the participation of European and Japanese astronauts. By 2030, China is planning to send astronauts to the Moon’s south polar region. Russia has also been talking about establishing a small base and India plans to go for crewed missions to the moon around 2040, after the success of Chandrayaan 3.
