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Artemis II Crew Circles Moon: Mission Update
6 Apr
Summary
- Artemis II mission is a 10-day lunar flyby testing Orion systems.
- The crew launched April 1 and are currently past the moon's sphere of influence.
- Future Artemis missions aim for moon landings by 2028.
The Artemis II mission, currently in its sixth day of a 10-day journey, is performing a lunar flyby to test critical systems of the Orion spacecraft. Launched on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center, the four-person crew is venturing further from Earth than any humans since 1972. Their flight path includes observations of the moon's far side and experiments monitoring the effects of deep space on the astronauts.
This uncrewed flight follows Artemis I and is designed to validate life support and other essential vehicle functions before future landing attempts. NASA's ambitious Artemis program aims to land astronauts near the moon's south pole by 2028, with contracts in place for lunar landers and new spacesuits. The mission highlights international collaboration, with a Canadian astronaut on board.
The Space Launch System rocket, a modern equivalent to the Saturn V, propels the Orion capsule, named 'Integrity' by the crew. Each launch of this system costs approximately $4.1 billion. The mission's success is a stepping stone towards establishing a long-term human presence on the moon and exploring its potential resources.
