NASA launches historic Artemis II crewed moon mission
text_fields
Florida: NASA's Artemis II mission successfully lifted off from Florida on Wednesday, carrying four astronauts on the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than 50 years.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped by the Orion spacecraft, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time. The mission marks NASA’s first crewed flight under the Artemis programme, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and prepare for future Mars missions.
The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, according to Xinhua news agency. The launch countdown was briefly paused at the T-minus 10-minute mark but resumed shortly thereafter.
Artemis II is designed to demonstrate a broad range of capabilities required for deep-space missions. It will validate Orion’s life-support systems and allow astronauts to practise critical operations for Artemis III and subsequent lunar missions.
The spacecraft will travel about 7,400 kilometres beyond the Moon’s far side, taking astronauts farther from Earth than any human in more than half a century. During the mission, the crew will evaluate spacecraft performance, practise emergency procedures, and capture images of the Moon’s far side.
Re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere will be one of the mission’s most challenging phases. Orion is expected to re-enter at speeds of approximately 25,000 miles per hour, facing temperatures of around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
The Artemis II crew represents several historic milestones: the first woman, the first African-American astronaut, and the first Canadian to travel toward the Moon.
The Artemis programme builds on the legacy of the Apollo missions, which sent 24 astronauts to the Moon between 1968 and 1972, including 12 who walked on its surface. NASA’s long-term goals include establishing a lunar base, sending missions to the Moon’s south pole later this decade, and eventually reaching Mars.
With IANS inputs