Artemis II mission: NASA targets February 6 to return humans to the Moon

NASA prepares for Artemis II, a historic crewed lunar flyby on February 6, 2026. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will test Orion spacecraft and life-support systems, orbiting the Moon before returning to Earth

New Delhi: After 50 years of the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, when man first landed on the Moon, NASA is planning to send a team of four astronauts on a journey around the Moon on February 6.

The Artemis II crew includes NASA’s commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) Jeremy Hansen. In preparation, the US space agency has moved the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.

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“Artemis II will be a momentous step forward for human spaceflight. This historic mission will send humans farther from Earth than ever before and deliver the insights needed for us to return to the Moon — all with America at the helm,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

“Artemis II represents progress toward establishing a lasting lunar presence and sending Americans to Mars. Boldly forward,” he added.

The 10-day mission will set the stage for Artemis III, slated for launch in 2027, when humans will land on the lunar South Pole for the first time and set up a long-term presence there. “Under the Artemis campaign, NASA is returning humans to moon,” the US space agency said.

In August 2022, NASA tested Artemis I — the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems — the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket. With Artemis II, NASA will rigorously test its Orion spacecraft and deep-space exploration systems in real conditions.

The spacecraft will not make a landing on the lunar surface. The four-member crew will launch from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and complete an initial orbit around Earth to check life support and other critical systems. While still close to Earth, the crew will assess the performance of the life support systems necessary to generate breathable air.

Further, using the Moon’s gravity, the astronauts will attempt a trans-lunar injection burn, where Orion’s service module will provide the last push needed to put the spacecraft on an outbound trip of about four days and around the far side of the Moon, tracing a figure eight.

The mission is expected to take the astronauts more than 230,000 miles from Earth at their farthest point, following a free-return path that allows them to coast back to Earth without additional engine burns. The flight will conclude with a high-velocity atmospheric reentry and Pacific Ocean splashdown. “In the coming days, engineers and technicians will prepare the Artemis II rocket for the wet dress rehearsal, a test of fueling operations and countdown procedures,” NASA said.

The team will also load the rocket with cryogenic, or super-cold, propellants, run through the countdown, and practice safely draining the propellants from the rocket — all essential steps before the first crewed Artemis mission — by February 2, the space agency said.