New Delhi: After 50 years of the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, when man first landed on the Moon, NASA is planning to send a team of four astronauts on a journey around the Moon on February 6, IANS reported.
The Artemis II crew includes NASA’s commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) Jeremy Hansen.
In preparation, the US space agency has moved the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.
“Artemis II will be a momentous step forward for human spaceflight. This historic mission will send humans farther from Earth than ever before and deliver the insights needed for us to return to the Moon -- all with America at the helm,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
“Artemis II represents progress toward establishing a lasting lunar presence and sending Americans to Mars. Boldly forward,” he added.
The 10-day mission will set the stage for Artemis III, slated for launch in 2027, when humans will land on the lunar South Pole for the first time and set up a long-term presence there.
“Under the Artemis campaign, NASA is returning humans to the Moon for economic benefits, scientific discovery, and to prepare for crewed missions to Mars,” the US space agency said.
In August 2022, NASA tested Artemis I -- the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems -- the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket.
With Artemis II, NASA will rigorously test its Orion spacecraft and deep-space exploration systems in real conditions. The spacecraft will not make a landing on the lunar surface.
The four-member crew will launch from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and complete an initial orbit around Earth to check life support and other critical systems.