NASA Artemis mission set to advance humanity’s return to the moon

NEW YORK — More than half a century after humans last traveled to the moon, NASA is preparing to send four astronauts on a mission that will orbit the lunar surface, marking a key step toward returning astronauts to the moon and eventually venturing deeper into space.

“Fifty-three years ago, humanity left the moon and did not return. Now we go back,” NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said, clearing the mission.

The Artemis II rocket, carrying the Orion spacecraft and its four-person crew, is scheduled to launch at 6:24 p.m. local time Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 10-day mission will take astronauts close to the moon, though they will not land.

Kshatriya said at a news conference that the mission, which was delayed last month due to potential rocket issues, is now ready for flight.

“I have complete confidence in this team and the NASA workforce,” he said.

The last time humans traveled that far into space was in December 1972, when the Apollo 17 mission carried astronauts to the lunar surface.

Artemis II is designed to test NASA’s rocket and spacecraft systems ahead of a planned crewed moon landing, currently targeted for a later Artemis mission. The crew will fly around the far side of the moon before returning to Earth.

The mission team reflects a diverse group of astronauts, including pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission is commanded by Reid Wiseman.

“It is our strong hope that this mission is the start of an era where everyone, every person on Earth, can look at the moon and think of it as also a destination,” Koch said.

During the mission, the spacecraft will follow a figure-eight trajectory around Earth and the moon, traveling as far as about 7,400 kilometers from the lunar surface. Initial orbits around Earth will test the Orion capsule’s systems with the crew onboard, including manual controls and docking capabilities.

The spacecraft will then travel toward the moon, loop around it, and return to Earth, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.

NASA ultimately plans to establish a sustained presence on the moon as part of its broader goal of preparing for future human missions to Mars. (Source: IANS)