NASA announced that the first crewed voyage in its Artemis program might circle the moon and return as early as February, suggesting that the agency may be returning to the moon months sooner than anticipated.
The space agency’s Artemis program is the United States’ premier attempt to send people back to the moon. It is a multibillion-dollar series of missions that competes with China’s equivalent endeavor, which aims to send astronauts to the moon by 2030.
In November 2022, an uncrewed spacecraft made the first Artemis mission, which involved orbiting the moon and returning.
According to NASA, the purpose of the 10-day Artemis II mission is to “explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.” The mission will fly around the moon and back.
According to the BBC, the crew of Artemis II will be the first to leave low Earth orbit since 1972, but they will not set foot on the moon.
Although the mission was initially scheduled for April, it might be changed to February instead.
During a press conference on Tuesday, NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator, Lakiesha Hawkins, stated, “We have a front row seat to history together.” “We want to emphasize that safety is our top priority, but the launch window may open as early as February 5th.”
A moon lander version of SpaceX’s Starship rocket will be used in Artemis II, which is intended to serve as a test for the agency’s more ambitious mission, Artemis III, which is presently scheduled for 2027. Landing on the moon is Artemis III’s objective.
NASA’s Orion capsule and Space Launch System rocket are part of Artemis II. The Orion capsule will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop the massive, 98-meter (322-foot) SLS rocket, marking the first time the spacecraft pair will travel alongside people.
More than 50 years ago, Neil Armstrong, who was serving as the commander of Apollo 11, became the first person to set foot on the moon during NASA’s most well-known lunar mission.
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