The Artemis program started in 2017 aims to mark the return of humans to the Moon in 2025. For its second mission, after Artemis I on November 16, 2022, NASA will embark astronauts aboard the Orion exploration vehicle mounted on the SLS launcher (the most powerful rocket in the world). This is a first, as no manned flight towards the Moon has been carried out since 1972.
The crew will leave Earth in November 2024, and the full guest list is scheduled to be announced on April 3. For this, NASA has released a video, Hollywood trailer style. Something to mark the spirits and set the date when we will know more about this future historic mission. The astronauts concerned will be part of NASA but also of the CSA, the Canadian space agency.
On the way to a long-term human presence on the Moon
This is not the first time that NASA has pulled out all the stops. With each advance in its Artemis program, promotional videos garner millions of views for their attribute and symbol of space conquest. “Travelling aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the mission is the first manned flight test on the path to establishing a long-term scientific and human presence on the lunar surface”described the agency about the Artemis II mission.
But what will the astronauts of Artemis II do next year, when the return of humans to the Moon is not planned before 2025? Like the Artemis I mission, which was unmanned, the crew will be sent back to our natural satellite to enter orbit with it. Last year, Orion completed the entire trip in 25 days. For Artemis II, the minimum spent in space will be 8 days.
Even among the astronauts selected for the mission, nothing is yet sure about the duration of their absence from Earth. The trip could last up to 3 weeks, indicated the canadian space agency, “according to other objectives”. To return to Earth, the capsule will take a final acceleration on the dark side of the Moon, which will allow it to tear itself out of its orbit. Landing is planned in the Pacific.
Finally, the Artemis II mission will bring NASA closer to 2025 and the Artemis III mission, where 4 astronauts are likely to land on the Moon. Then, it will be the door open to the missions of installing the Gateway station, which “will serve as a starting point for manned and robotic missions to the Moon. This remote orbital station will allow long expeditions to the Moon and possibly many round trips to the surface during a single Artemis mission”added the CSA.
