NASA is on the brink of making history once again as Artemis II, its first crewed Moon mission in more than five decades takes off.
The mission will send four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the far side of the Moon, taking them farther from Earth than any humans in history.
The mission is already breaking barriers. Christina Koch is set to become the first woman to orbit the Moon, while Victor Glover will become the first Black astronaut to make the lunar journey. Jeremy Hansen will also make history as the first Canadian to fly to the Moon.
Artemis II is part of NASA’s broader Artemis programme, which aims not just to return humans to the Moon, but to establish a sustained presence there, paving the way for future missions to Mars.
During the mission, the Orion spacecraft is expected to travel up to 406,840km (252,799 miles) from Earth, surpassing the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. The crew will pass about 10,299km above the Moon’s far side, an area largely unseen by human eyes.
“This mission is about much more than records,” said NASA chief flight director Emily Nelson.
“It’s about learning, testing systems, and preparing for the future.”
Artemis II will be followed by Artemis III, now scheduled for 2027, which will focus on docking tests in Earth orbit. Artemis IV and V, planned for 2028, aim to land astronauts near the Moon’s South Pole, a region believed to contain water ice critical for long-term lunar exploration.
Beyond lunar exploration, NASA sees Artemis as a stepping stone toward sending humans to Mars in the 2030s, using the Moon as a testing ground for life-support systems, habitats, and deep-space technologies.
Watch a playback as Artemis II counts down to launch:
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
