About Artemis II Mission:
- It will be the first mission to carry humans to the moon’s vicinity since 1972.
- It is the second scheduled flight of the Artemis program and the first crewed Artemis mission.
- It is the first to fly astronauts aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.
- While Artemis 1 successfully flew Orion around the moon without astronauts in 2022, Artemis 2 will be the first time humans travel aboard the spacecraft and venture beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years.
- Four astronauts will take a 10-day flight around the moon and back to Earth, testing systems ahead of the Artemis 3 mission, which aims to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028.
- The mission will include three NASA astronauts and one astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
- Several payloads will fly aboard Artemis II to expand our knowledge of space radiation, human health and behavior, and space communications.
- The astronauts and mission controllers will collect data on Orion and the crew’s performance to assess how ready the Artemis program is to send people to the moon’s surface.
- Orion will undergo high-speed reentry through Earth's atmosphere before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
Key Facts of Artemis Program:
- It is NASA’s program to return astronauts to the Moon, preparing the way for human missions to Mars.
- It aims to “land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon“, explore the lunar surface.
- The Artemis program includes the construction of the Lunar Gateway space station in orbit around the Moon.
- The next missions are currently in preparation:
- Artemis 3 will be the first crewed Moon landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
- NASA aims to land the first female astronaut and first astronaut of colour on the lunar surface.
- They will spend a week on the Moon performing scientific studies, before returning to Earth.
- Artemis 4 will deliver a core part of a new lunar space station (named 'Gateway') into orbit around the Moon, and land another two astronauts on the Moon's surface.
- Artemis 5 will add another important module to Gateway and involve a third crewed lunar landing to undertake further surface science.
