The mission Artemis II will bring humans back around the Moon for the first time since 1972. The mission, the first with a human crew for the Artemis program, sees an initial launch window between 6 and 11 February 2026will last 10 days and will take astronauts into orbit around the Moon with the capsule Orionand then return to Earth. The mission will not see the actual moon landing, which is instead expected with the Artemis III mission not before 2027 (more likely in 2028).
Who are the crew members of Artemis II
The four members who will be part of the Artemis II mission constitute a diverse group of NASA and CSA astronauts, almost all with previous space flight experience. They are the commander Reid Wisemanthe pilot Victor Gloverthe mission specialist Christina Hammock Koch and the mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
Christina Hammock Koch
The specialist Christina Hammock Koch is on her second journey into space after serving as a flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) and achieving the longest duration in space record for a female astronaut by 328 daysas well as having participated in the first spacewalk of only female astronauts.
Reid Wiseman
The commander Reid Wisemanon his second spaceflight, previously served as a flight engineer on the ISS in 2014.
Victor Glover
Victor Glover he served as a Space
Jeremy Hansen
The astronaut Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian space agency is on his first space flight and in 2017 he was the first Canadian to lead the training of NASA’s new astronaut classes.
NASA prepares to return to the Moon after more than 50 years
The Artemis program is one of the most ambitious – if not the most ambitious – space program in the world NASA and partner agencies ESA, JAXA And CSAEuropean, Japanese and Canadian space agencies respectively. Named in honor of Artemisgoddess of hunting and the Moon and sister of Apollo, the space program aims to bring man back to the Moon after more than 50 years from missions Apollo. The goal, unlike 50 years ago, is not simply to set foot on lunar soil, but to establish a real basic and then one permanent presence on our natural satellite. This presence will be the first step of an even more ambitious project, namely sending i first humans on Mars.
The first mission of the program, Artemis Itook place in November 2022. The mission, without a crew, aimed to test both the capsule Orionwhich will host astronauts during the journey to the Moon, is Space Launch System (SLS)the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. The Artemis I mission was a success, with Orion reaching and briefly orbiting the Moon, only to return to Earth by landing in the Pacific Ocean.
As humans, we are about to witness historic years for space exploration. We will finally return to the Moon after more than 50 years to stay there permanently and lay the foundations for what will be a small step for a man, but an even bigger one for humanity, that is, the colonization of other celestial bodies.
