NASA sets date for its lunar mission
A mission that aims to take humans on their first lunar flyby for decades, Artemis II is due to set off for the Moon this spring.
NASA’s Artemis II mission, aimed at taking humans on a lunar flyby, is prepped for launch and could get its first shot at liftoff on April 1, agency officials said Thursday. The crew is expected to include four astronauts, among them the first woman and the first Black astronaut ever to travel toward the Moon.
Artemis I
The Artemis program is NASA’s roadmap for returning astronauts to the Moon more than 50 years after Apollo. To get there, the agency is advancing step by step, testing each piece of hardware along the way.
Artemis I, completed in 2022, was the program’s opening mission. It launched without a crew, sent the Orion spacecraft on a journey around the Moon, and brought it safely back to Earth - a full‑scale test to verify that all systems performed as intended.
Artemis II
Artemis II is the next phase, anticipated for 2026, with a potential launch as soon as April 1. This time, the spacecraft will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby, flying around the Moon without landing.
The mission was delayed earlier this year after NASA discovered a series of hydrogen leaks during a fuel‑loading test of the SLS rocket. On February 19, engineers also detected helium leaks in the rocket’s second stage, forcing the vehicle to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building.
NASA has now identified several potential launch dates: April 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 30.
The Artemis II crew consists of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. They will travel to Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 27 to prepare for launch.
Artemis III
Artemis III was originally scheduled for 2028 and was expected to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over half a century. But the agency revised that plan in recent weeks: instead of landing, the mission will now focus on testing the docking between Orion and the lunar lander in 2027. That lander will be built either by SpaceX or Blue Origin.
NASA currently estimates that the next human landing attempts will come in 2028 via Artemis IV and Artemis V. These missions would fulfill Donald Trump’s stated goal of returning Americans to the Moon before the end of his second presidential term. “It’s challenging, it’s ambitious, but with this course correction we are in a more stable foundation, a more realistic path to the milestones we have ahead,”said Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator, in late February.
China and the U.S. in the New Space Race
In short, NASA’s Artemis plan breaks down into these key phases:
- Artemis I (2022): First test flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, uncrewed. Orion traveled around the Moon and returned to Earth to validate systems performance.
- Artemis II (2026): First crewed mission of the program. The four‑person team will do a flyby of the Moon without landing, confirming that Orion is safe for human deep‑space travel.
- Artemis III (2027-2028): Mission aimed at testing lunar landing systems and paving the way for astronauts to return to the lunar surface in later missions.
However, NASA’s delays may open the door for China in the renewed space race. Beijing remains committed to sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030, while the U.S. still lacks certainty over whether SpaceX or Blue Origin can deliver their landing systems and rockets in time.
Related stories
Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that of this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.
Complete your personal details to comment