NASA is preparing to send astronauts on a historic Moon mission this week – for the first time since 1972.
This historic Artemis II mission could take place as soon as Sunday, February 8, kicking off the space race for a new generation.
Nasa‘s Artemis program is a series of Moon exploration missions that was established back in 2017.
And it began with Artemis I on November 16, 2022, when Nasa successfully tested its Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft during an uncrewed flight.
Now Nasa is hoping to complete a crewed test flight on the SLS and Orion this month.
It will see four astronauts launched into space where they’ll whizz around the Moon on a trajectory that brings the craft back to Earth.
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This 10-day mission is expected to to take place as soon as February 8 (coincidentally, that’s Super Bowl Sunday) – and no later than April 30 this year.
And if all goes to plan, Nasa will follow it up with Artemis III as soon as 2028.
This even bolder mission will see American astronauts land on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
And that’ll include two “extravehicular activities” on the lunar surface, where they’ll spend around 6.5 days.
Nasa has Artemis missions planned right through to Artemis X in 2036 (though only Artemis III, IV and V are officially on the books), which would mark the eighth crewed lunar landing of the program.
But for those to get ahead, Nasa needs to get Artemis II right by proving that the SLS and Orion can safely carry astronauts to the Moon and back.
It’s still not exactly clear when Artemis II will take off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA.
On January 30, Nasa confirmed that February 6 and 7 were “no longer viable opportunities”.
And any delays in the wet dress rehearsal or weather problems could psuh the event back further.
At the time of writing, the launch will take place no earlier than February 8 at 11.23pm local time in Florida – that’s February 9 in the UK at 4.20am.
And it would be expected to touch down on February 17, 2026 in the Pacific Ocean.
It would be recovered by the US Navy using a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.
As well as being the first crewed trip around the Moon since the 1970s, it’s also the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since then too.
The mission will be crewed by Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
ARTEMIS II – THE KEY FACTS
Here’s what you need to know…
Launch Date: February 8, 2026 (No earlier than)
Mission Duration: 10 days
Space Launch System:
- Height: 322 feet (98 metres)
- Weight: 5.75 million lbs (2.6 million kg)
- Thrust: 8.8 million lbs
- Cost per launch: $2.5 billion (£1.98 billion)
Orion Spacecraft:
- Crew Capacity: 4 people
- Mission Life: Up to 21 days (undocked)
- Total Mission Cost (with SLS): $4.1 billion (£3.25 billion)
Mission Trajectory:
- Lunar Distance: Looping around the Moon (approx. 4,600 miles from lunar surface)
- Re-entry Speed: 25,000 mph (40,233 km/h)
- Splashdown Location: Pacific Ocean
Crew Firsts:
- First person of colour: Victor Glover
- First woman: Christina Koch
- First non-American: Jeremy Hansen (Canada)
And that means the mission will achieve a series of space firsts, with Glover being the first person of colour, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to travel around the Moon.
They’re currently quarantining in Houston, Texas, before moving to Florida for the mission. That’s to avoid any health issues while in space.
It’s not a strict isolation in a locked room. Astronauts can stay at home with family, but only if the people they spend time with also wear masks, avoid public places, and follow social distancing rules.
They will be travelling using two key pieces of space transportation.
The first part is the Space Launch System, which is a single-use super heavy-lift rocket system.
It’s the main launch vehicle for the Artemis missions to the Moon.
The cost per launch (excluding the Orion capsule) is around $2.5 billion, but the mission cost rises to $4.1 billion with the capsule.
It stands at more than 300ft tall, and weighs over 5.7 million pounds.
SEND YOUR NAME AROUND THE MOON!
You can send your name around the Moon on the Artemis II mission…
You can add your name to an SD card that will fly inside the Orion capsule on the Artemis mission.
It’s free, and means that you’ll be part of space exploration history.
Send your name here to get a boarding pass:
The second part of the transportation system is Orion, which is the exploration vehicle being used for the mission.
It can carry four members of crew for missions of up to 21 days undocked – and up to six months docked.
It has a crew module space capsule, as well as an automated docking system, solar panels for power, and a launch escape system.
And it will be Orion that is used for the return to the lunar surface as soon as 2028.
