Driven by American ingenuity, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts are now in flight, preparing for the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. The SLS rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT Wednesday, carrying four explorers aboard the Orion spacecraft.
“Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “It marks our return to the Moon to eventually stay on our Moon Base.” The 10-day mission includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They will test life support systems for the first time with crew, building toward a permanent lunar presence and future Mars missions.
After launch, Orion deployed its solar arrays. About 49 minutes in, the upper stage placed Orion in an elliptical orbit, then a second burn sent it 46,000 miles beyond Earth. The crew named their spacecraft “Integrity.” Four CubeSats from Argentina, Germany, Korea, and Saudi Arabia will conduct investigations. The crew will perform a manual piloting test, then on Thursday, April 2, a translunar injection burn will send them toward the Moon. During an April 6 lunar flyby, astronauts will photograph the far side’s shadowed craters and ridges. After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, NASA will continue its Golden Age of innovation, using Artemis for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and Mars preparation.
