NASA to Launch First Human Space Flight Around Moon since 1972
As soon as April 1, NASA will send four astronauts on a slingshot mission around the moon—a mission powered by America’s manufacturers that will send humans deeper into space than ever before and mark humanity’s return to the moon for the first time since 1972 (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).
The mission: The 10-day mission will begin with the launch of the Space Launch System rocket, which “takes off from a launchpad in Florida with Orion [the vehicle carrying the crew] stacked on top of it. The so-called upper stage of SLS will later separate from the main part of the rocket with Orion attached, and use its engine to set up the latter vehicle for a push to the moon.”
- “After Orion separates from the upper stage, it will conduct what is called a translunar injection—the engine firing that commits Orion to soaring out to the moon. It will fly to the moon over the course of a few days and travel around its far side.”
Preparing for a landing: Artemis II is part of a series of test flights that NASA has planned to pave the way for future lunar landings, which could come as early as 2028.
- This mission will test how the Orion capsule performs in its first human-piloted flight, testing out its life support systems.
- The next mission, Artemis III, will involve docking tests in low-earth orbit with moon landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
- Artemis I, the previous mission, was an unpiloted test flight by Orion and SLS in 2022 (CBS).
The crew: Three veteran NASA astronauts will participate in the mission: mission commander Reid Wiseman, who traveled to the International Space Station in 2014; Victor Glover, a Navy pilot; and Christina Koch, who began her NASA career as an electrical engineer. They will be joined by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a military pilot on his first space flight.
The vehicle: The Orion vehicle, primarily manufactured by Lockheed Martin, comes fully equipped for deep space exploration. Among its features, according to the company:
- “Advanced environmental control and life support systems designed for long duration missions keeps the crew safe and healthy”;
- Radiation protection “to protect crew and spacecraft systems from cosmic and solar radiation seen in deep space”;
- A heat shield “designed to take extreme temperatures of 5,000°F coming back from the Moon at 24,700 mph, while keeping the crew safe and comfortable”;
- A propulsion system with “33 engines, including its large main engine that is used to provide high-power, deep space maneuvers”; and
- Communication and navigation features for deep space—where GPS satellites can’t help—and redundant systems to keep the spacecraft operable if something goes wrong.
When and where: The launch window for Artemis II opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT.