NASA has launched its latest crewed mission under the Artemis II programme, with the spacecraft expected to reach lunar orbit early next week. The mission is being carried out using NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, marking a new chapter in human space exploration.
A four-astronaut crew is manning the spacecraft, captained by Reid Wiseman, alongside Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
The mission carries several historic milestones. Victor Glover will become the first African American astronaut to travel to the vicinity of the Moon, while Christina Koch will be the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit. Jeremy Hansen will also become the first Canadian astronaut to venture into deep space.
Artemis II will perform a lunar flyby, testing critical systems aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft as part of preparations for a future crewed landing mission under the Artemis programme.
The mission marks a major step forward in NASA’s plans to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a sustained presence on the lunar surface. The spacecraft is expected to orbit the Moon before returning to Earth, with the mission scheduled to last approximately 10 days, culminating in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Artemis II is widely seen as a precursor to the more ambitious Artemis III mission, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface later this decade.
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