When will the NASA Moon mission launch and who are the Artemis II crew?
NASAThe first manned Moon mission in more than 50 years could be launched by NASA in the first week of February.
On Saturday, in preparation, NASA plans to move its giant Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket and Orion space capsule from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad.
The Artemis II mission, which will last about 10 days, could take its astronauts further into space than ever before.
Its goal is to set the stage for the eventual human landing on the lunar surface, the first since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.
When will Artemis II launch?
Saturday’s planned four-mile trip on Crawler-Transporter-2 will take 12 hours. Once there, engineers will begin a series of launchpad preparations, including connecting ground support equipment such as power lines, fuel environment control system ducts, and cryogenic propellant feed.
In late January, NASA will conduct a wet dress rehearsal, a prelaunch test for fuelling the rocket. If there are any problems, NASA can return SLS and Orion to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional work before launch.
But if all systems go well, the earliest possible launch date would be Friday, February 6. The moon must be in the right location as the rocket is ready, so sequential launch windows are selected accordingly.
In practice, this means a week at the beginning of each month during which the rocket is pointed in the right direction, followed by three weeks where there are no launch opportunities.
So the possible launch dates are:
- 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 February
- 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 March, and
- 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 April
Who are the Artemis II crew members, and what will they do?
Artemis II’s crew of four includes NASA Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch. A second mission specialist, Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, will also be on board.
The mission includes the first crewed flight of the SLS and Orion.
Once they are safely in orbit, the astronauts will test how the Orion spacecraft handles. This will involve manually flying a capsule in Earth orbit to practice steering and line up a spacecraft for a future moon landing.
They will then fly to a point thousands of kilometres away from the moon to test Orion’s life support, propulsion, power and navigation systems.
The crew will also act as medical test subjects, sending back data and imagery from deep space.
They will operate in a small cabin in weightlessness. Radiation levels will be higher than at the International Space Station, which is in low Earth orbit, but still safe.
Upon returning to Earth, the astronauts will experience a bumpy return through the atmosphere and splashdown over the US west coast in the Pacific Ocean.
Will Artemis II land on the Moon?
No, this mission is to prepare the ground for a lunar landing by astronauts in the Artemis III mission.
NASA says the Artemis III launch will not occur before 2027. However, experts believe that 2028 is the earliest possible date.
The final choice of spacecraft to carry crews to the lunar surface has not yet been made. This will either be SpaceX’s Starship lander or a craft designed by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
The new spacesuits made by American company Axiom are also not ready.
When Artemis III finally takes off, the astronauts will head toward the moon’s south pole.
The aim is then to maintain a continuous human presence on the Moon.
Artemis IV and V will begin construction of Gateway, a small space station orbiting the Moon. This will be followed by more landings on the Moon, additional segments added to the Gateway and new robotic rovers operating on the surface. More countries will be involved in preventing people from living and working on and around the Moon for long periods of time.
When was the last moon mission?
The last crewed Moon mission was Apollo 17, which landed in December 1972 and returned to Earth at the end of the same month.
In total, 24 astronauts visited the Moon during the Apollo program, and 12 of them walked on its surface. Of the 24 who went to the Moon, only five are still alive.
The US first moved to defeat the Soviet Union in the 1960s primarily to assert its geopolitical and technological dominance. After achieving that goal, political enthusiasm, public interest, and funding for future moonshots waned.
The Artemis program evolved from a desire to return humans to the moon, but this time it was built around new technology and commercial partnerships for a long-term presence.
Are other countries planning to send astronauts to the Moon?
Several other countries have ambitions to send people to the Moon in the 2030s
European astronauts are set to join subsequent Artemis missions and Japan has also reserved seats.
China is building its own spacecraft, aiming for the first landing near the moon’s south pole by 2030.
Russia continues to talk about flying astronauts to the surface and building a small base between about 2030 and 2035. However, sanctions, funding pressures and technical setbacks mean the timetable is overly optimistic.
India has also expressed its ambition to see its astronauts walk on the Moon one day.
Following the success of Chandrayaan 3’s landing near the Moon’s south pole in August 2023, India’s space agency aims to send astronauts to the Moon by around 2040. This will be part of its efforts to take the human spaceflight program beyond low Earth orbit.
Kevin Church provided additional reporting on this topic.
