NASA sets date to send astronauts around moon for first time in 50 years
Artemis II edges towards liftoff as four astronauts prepare to travel beyond lunar far side, with prospect of surpassing the distance record set by Apollo 13.
NASA has targeted a March 6 launch for the Artemis II mission after completing a key rocket rehearsal, though officials cautioned that remaining preparations could still lead to delays.
The space agency fuelled its towering lunar rocket and carried out a full launch-day simulation ahead of its long-awaited mission to send four astronauts around the moon.
The extensive exercise, known as a wet dress rehearsal, is a crucial milestone before the launch.
Administrator Jared Isaacman said on Friday that launch teams made “major progress” between the first countdown rehearsal, which was disrupted by hydrogen leaks earlier this month, and the second test, which was completed without significant seepage Thursday night.
The test was “a big step toward America’s return to the lunar environment," Isaacman said on the social media platform X.
Liftoff could begin a 10-day voyage that will see the crew orbit Earth before tracing a figure-eight path around the moon.
Artemis II will mark humanity’s return to lunar orbit for the first time in more than half a century.
“Engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of liquid propellant into the rocket, sent a closeout crew to the launch pad to demonstrate closing the Orion spacecraft’s hatches, and completed two runs of terminal count — the final phase of the launch countdown. The Artemis II crew also observed part of the test from the Launch Control Center at NASA Kennedy,” NASA said in a statement.
Record breaking voyage
The astronauts are expected to travel farther from Earth than any humans before them. It will also be the first crewed flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule.
The journey will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen to the vicinity of the moon, marking the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The spacecraft will not land on the moon, as it is not designed for surface operations, a NASA spokesperson confirmed.
Instead, the crew will aim to travel beyond the far side of the moon, with the potential to surpass the record for the farthest humans have ever ventured from Earth, currently held by Apollo 13.
Following the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby mission, the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 will be Artemis III, currently planned for no earlier than mid-2027 - with some experts suggesting it could slip to 2028.
NASA hopes to put humans back on the Moon as China forges ahead with a rival effort that is targeting 2030 at the latest for its first crewed mission.
NASA is hoping that the Moon could be used to help prepare future missions to Mars.