NASA officials recently announced that the agency’s inaugural crewed flight for the Artemis program, a momentous journey that will loop around the Moon and return to Earth, is firmly on schedule for April and could even lift off as soon as February. The ambitious Artemis program represents the United States’ primary initiative to re-establish a human presence on the lunar surface. This multi-billion-dollar endeavor stands in friendly competition with China’s own space aspirations, which aim for a human moon landing by 2030.
Artemis II, a crucial 10-day test flight, will see a crew of four astronauts orbit the Moon and then return, serving as a vital prelude to humanity’s first lunar landing since 1972. The subsequent mission, Artemis III, is an even more intricate and challenging undertaking, currently slated for 2027. This mission will utilize a lunar lander derived from SpaceX’s Starship rocket to achieve a human landing.
For Artemis II, NASA will employ its powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, developed by Boeing and Northrop Grumman, along with its Orion capsule, constructed by Lockheed Martin. While the mission was initially pushed back to April 2026 last year, recent progress has sparked optimism for an earlier departure.
Lakiesha Hawkins, an acting senior official within NASA’s exploration division, confirmed this commitment to the 2026 timeframe during a recent news conference. She emphasized that while the readiness of the SLS and Orion spacecraft might allow for an earlier launch, safety remains the paramount consideration guiding the final decision.
Crews will ride the Orion capsule atop the colossal 322-foot-tall (98 meter) SLS rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This will be the first instance of humans flying aboard this powerful rocket and capsule combination.
The crew for Artemis II includes Commander Reid Wiseman, who previously flew to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz in 2014; Pilot Victor Glover, who journeyed to the ISS with SpaceX in 2020; Mission Specialist Christina Koch, another Soyuz ISS veteran from 2019; and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who will be making his first trip into space as a mission specialist. Mr. Hansen’s participation signifies a historic moment, as he will be the first Canadian astronaut to travel to the vicinity of the Moon.