Artemis II: around the Moon
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to be used for NASA's Artemis II arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B on January 17, setting the stage for key tests before the crewed lunar mission. In the coming days, NASA engineers will conduct various tests, such as fueling with super-cold propellants and countdown procedures.
The SLS, a super heavy-lift rocket, sends Orion to the Moon. Orion features a crew module for astronauts and service module (built by ESA) for propulsion. This mission paves the way for exploring the lunar surface, with the goal of establishing a permanent presence on the Moon and then advancing to Mars.
Artemis II will be NASA's first crewed mission in the Artemis program, testing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in deep space. Four astronauts - NASA's Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist) - will embark on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back. This follows the uncrewed Artemis I, aiming to validate life support, navigation, and operations for future lunar landings on Artemis III and Mars missions.