NASA set to launch first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years
NASA’s Artemis II mission is preparing to embark on a 10-day crewed journey around the Moon, with astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft launched atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
The mission is scheduled to lift off no earlier than February 6, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
This will mark NASA’s first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years.
A team of four astronauts will participate in the mission, which serves as the first crewed step in NASA’s broader goal of establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon for scientific research and exploration, the agency said.
The 10-day journey will assist in confirming the spacecraft systems and hardware needed for early human lunar exploration missions, ensuring they operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space.
As the launch of Artemis II test flight approaches, the agency will roll out its SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad for the first time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This will start the final integration, testing and launch rehearsals.
According to Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA is "moving closer to Artemis II, with rollout just around the corner. We have important steps remaining on our path to launch, and crew safety will remain our top priority at every turn, as we near humanity’s return to the Moon."
NASA’s targeted rollout date is no earlier than Saturday, Jan 17.
The multi-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B will cover four miles and take up to 12 hours on the crawler-transporter-2, one of NASA’s two tracked vehicles at the Kennedy Space Center, used to transport massive rockets.
Teams have been working diligently to complete all tasks ahead of the rollout. However, NASA said the target date is subject to change if additional time is needed for technical preparations or weather.
Once rollout is complete and the integrated rocket and spacecraft reach the launch pad, NASA will conduct an extensive checklist of launch pad preparations to ensure all hardware and systems are working properly.
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