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Are you ready to shoot the moon in good faith? Coming Artemis II The mission is one of the most exciting space missions in recent memory. This will be the first time humans have traveled to the Moon since December 1972, when this milestone occurred Apollo program wrapped, and NASA is starting to shift focus Towards space shuttles that will stay closer to home in Earth orbit.
Artemis II represents an opportunity for NASA to collect valuable new data from a spaceflight of this size and to continue testing the new Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft that will carry the astronauts. The 10-day mission will be a flyby of these four humans — an actual moon landing is scheduled for the next Artemis III mission — but there will be plenty of drama nonetheless.
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the It is scheduled to be launched No later than February 8 and no later than February 13. NASA has the rocket in place and it exists Strict testing To make sure it is ready for the trip. Orion in Final preparation stagesAside from some final tests, everything is ready to go. The mission crew consists of Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Weisman, Glover and Koch are Americans. Hansen is Canadian, and will be the first to travel from his country to the moon.
Although we don’t yet know the exact launch date, we do know What will happen?. After liftoff, the Orion spacecraft will maneuver into orbit, head to the moon, sling around, and return home as Earth’s gravity pulls it back. This launch has been over eight years in the making, and the big moment is very close.
The Orion spacecraft needed some improvements to its heat shield, due to damage it sustained during the first Artemis mission.
Artemis II will be launched in February
On the launch date, Artemis II will lift off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Space Launch System, NASA’s superheavy rocket and the primary launch vehicle for the Artemis program, will produce more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch Orion and the crew into space.
In the first minutes, the spacecraft will jettison components such as rocket boosters and hardware used specifically for the launch phase.
The flight path of Artemis II is a large loop around the Moon. Artemis took a similar route.
How to broadcast the launch
the Earliest possible release date (PDF) for Artemis II is February 8, and the launch window runs until February 13. If you miss this Artemis II launch window, the next launches are March 6-11, April 1-6 and April 30. The time of day varies, but NASA is aiming for an evening launch, so prepare to watch either during or after dinner.
NASA is broadcasting the launch on its usual platforms. It includes her YouTube channelthe free on-demand streaming app NASA PlusAnd the agency’s pages on social networking sites Facebook and X. It should also be broadcast live On twitchAnd with partnership NASA has signed with Netflix And in 2025, it will likely stream on Netflix as well.
What will happen first?
About eight minutes after launch, the spacecraft will separate from the lower stage, leaving only the Orion capsule and upper stage rocket, while the expendable lower stage will slide into the Atlantic Ocean and sink to the bottom.
During the next few hours, the spacecraft will reach its orbit around Earth, in an orbital pattern that will make it easier for astronauts to return home if something goes wrong. (the Artemis I The mission flew successfully in 2022, but was unmanned.) It will remain there until the second day of the mission.
Days 1-2: Test systems
Once in high orbit, the crew will use manual controls and begin testing onboard systems, including life support and communications. Once all is well, the upper stage rocket will perform what is known as a translunar injection burn before it separates, sending Orion toward the moon.
Day 3-5: Travel time
The crew will have a few days of travel to reach the Moon, a distance of more than 225,000 miles. (That’s about the same time as it takes to drive nonstop from New York City to Los Angeles, a trip of less than 3,000 miles.) By comparison, the International Space Station is only about 250 miles from Earth. During this time, the crew will be busy conducting tests, practicing procedures and experimenting with mission technology.
Day Six: The dark side of the moon
The Artemis 2 crew arrives in lunar orbit on the sixth, flying around the far side of the Moon and preparing for its return journey. This will be a rare personal look at the dark side of the Moon, and depending on what day the mission begins, the Artemis II crew may also break the record for the longest flight by humans away from Earth when they reach the farthest point of their loop around the Moon. This record – 248,655 miles – was set during Apollo 13 mission.
The crew is expected to lose contact with Earth during this time. They will photograph the far side of the Moon before restoring communications and returning home.
Day 7-9: Return home
Orion will drift around the Moon and begin its path back home under the influence of Earth and Moon’s gravity.
Day 10: Splash Down
The final day of the mission will see Orion and its crew return to Earth. Orion will enter orbit at high speed, generating heat of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This will precisely test those improvements NASA has made to Orion’s heat shields. Once re-entry is complete, the crew will deploy Orion’s parachutes and land in the Pacific Ocean. The US Navy will pick them up about two hours later.
Artemis III will send humans to the surface of the moon.
Artemis III: planned landing on the moon
The Artemis II mission is a vital building block in the long sequence of events that will return humans to the moon’s surface. The data collected and tests conducted in the mission will be used for preparation Mission of Artemis IIIWhich will be the first manned landing on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
SpaceX is under construction The system that the crew will use to land on the moon is from Houston-based Axiom Space Development of space suits They will wear.
Artemis III is scheduled to launch in mid-2027.