NASA’s Artemis II mission will see four astronauts venture around the moon, marking the first time humans will have left Earth’s orbit in over 50 years.
With the first possible launch window opening on February 6, there may be just days until this historic launch.
The crew – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – will blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on NASA’s biggest and most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System.
During their mission, the crew will travel more than 620,000 miles (one million km) aboard the Orion spacecraft.
At their furthest point, the Artemis II crew will travel farther from Earth than any human before them.
The Artemis I mission completed a similar journey in 2022, but this will be the first time that NASA’s deep–space exploration equipment has been tested with a human crew.
The astronauts will not land on the moon, but rather complete a lunar flyby at 6,400 miles (10,400 km) above the lunar surface to pave the way for a future landing.
So, here’s our step–by–step guide to what will happen during the Artemis II mission.
When will Artemis II launch?
NASA has identified three possible launch windows for Artemis II in the coming months: From February 6 to February 11, from March 6 to March 11, and from April 1 to April 6.
On January 17, the space agency moved the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad in preparation for the first window.
The rocket will now need to undergo a ‘wet dress rehearsal’, in which it will be loaded with over three million litres of super–cooled fuel, run through a countdown, and safely drained.
NASA says that multiple dress rehearsals might be needed if any safety concerns arise, and the rocket may even be returned to the hangar if necessary.
However, the first wet dress rehearsal is planned for no later than February 2 and, if all goes to plan, the rocket should soon be ready to launch.
What will happen during the mission?
After the launch, the SLS will accelerate to speeds of around 24,500 miles per hour (39,400 km/h), pushing Orion out of the atmosphere and into an Earth orbit.
Launching from Kennedy Space Centre, Artemis II will begin as the Space Launch System accelerates to 24,500 miles per hour (39,400 km/h), pushing the Orion spacecraft into orbit
Orion and the rocket’s upper stage, called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), will adjust their trajectory until they reach a ‘safe orbit’.
Around 42 hours after launch, Orion will accelerate into a highly elliptical orbit that takes it 115 miles (185 km) above Earth at the closest and 44,525 miles (71,600 km) away at the furthest.
At this point, the crew will ditch the ICPS and switch over to manual controls, using the jettisoned section as a target to test in–flight maneuvers and see how Orion handles in space.
These tests completed, Orion will fire its engines one last time in what is known as a ‘translunar injection’, kicking the craft out of Earth’s orbit and on a looping path around the moon.
The spacecraft will spend four days drifting through space until it reaches lunar orbit, passing about 6,400 miles (10,400 km) behind the ‘dark side’ of the moon.
At this time, the astronauts will be able to see the moon and Earth some 250,000 miles (402,000 km) away, out of Orion’s windows.
According to NASA, the moon will look about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.
Orion will then use the moon’s gravity to slingshot itself back towards Earth, taking another four days to return home.
The four crew members of Artemis II will travel around 620,000 miles (one million km) aboard the Orion spacecraft on a round trip to the moon and back. Left to right: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen
Finally, the crew will jettison the power and life–support module, called the European Service Module, allowing them to safely splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Who are the Artemis II crew?
The Artemis II crew is made up of four astronauts, three from NASA and one from the Canadian Space Agency.
They include the first black man, the first woman, and the first non–American to travel into lunar orbit.
Reid Wiseman – Commander
Taking the role of Commander for Artemis II is NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, a veteran astronaut, Navy veteran, and test pilot.
After earning Master’s degrees in engineering from both Johns Hopkins University and the US Naval Postgraduate School, Mr Wiseman joined the Navy as a pilot.
He made two deployments to the Middle East before being selected as a test pilot, which led to his enrollment in the NASA astronaut training programme.
Commander Reid Wiseman: Veteran astronaut, Navy veteran, and test pilot who has spent 165 days in space
Mr Wiseman was sent on a 165–day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and completed two spacewalks totalling 13 hours outside the station.
During his time on the ISS, Mr Wiseman and his crew set the NASA record for most hours of research completed in a week.
Victor Glove – Pilot
For the role of pilot, NASA has selected Victor Glover – a veteran astronaut and US Navy aviator and test pilot with 3,500 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft.
A former NCAA Division–I wrestler and football player, Mr Glover completed an undergraduate degree in engineering before joining the Navy.
Serving as a naval aviator and US Air Force test pilot, Mr Glover has completed 400 carrier arrested landings and 24 combat missions.
In his downtime, he earned three Master’s degrees in flight test engineering, systems engineering, and military operational art and science.
After being selected for astronaut training in 2013, he was sent on a mission to the ISS in 2018, spending 168 days in space and completing four spacewalks.
Pilot Victor Glover: Veteran astronaut and US Navy aviator and test pilot with 3,500 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, who has spent 168 days in space
Christina Koch – Mission specialist
Ms Koch is a polar explorer, engineer, and veteran astronaut with a specialism in electrical and space systems engineering.
Having earned her Master’s degree from the University of Ghana, Ms Koch was deployed to both the Arctic and Antarctic.
Prior to becoming an astronaut, she was a Research Associate in the United States Antarctic Program, which included a yearlong stay with a winter–over at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.
After joining NASA, Ms Koch deployed to the ISS in 2018, where she spent 328 days in space – setting the record for longest continuous spaceflight by a woman.
She has completed a total of 42 hours and 15 minutes of spacewalks, including the first three all–women spacewalks.
Jeremy Hansen – Mission Specialist
Mr Hansen, the second Mission Specialist on Artemis II, is the only non–NASA astronaut to join the crew.
Mission Specialist Christina Koch: A polar explorer, engineer, and veteran astronaut with a specialism in electrical and space systems engineering. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, having spent 328 days in space
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen: The only non–American on the crew, Mr Hansen is a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot who will become the first Canadian to fly around the moon
The crew will sleep for eight hours per day in sleeping bag–like hammocks that attach to hand rails (pictured)
Selected by the Canadian Space Agency, he will become the first non–American to fly around the moon.
Having earned his pilot licence at the age of just 17, Mr Hansen joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a fighter pilot, specialising in Arctic flying operations.
After being recruited by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training, he has completed two extended on–Earth missions – living underground in a cave on an underwater research station.
What will life be like aboard Orion?
Although the astronauts will only be travelling for 10 days, they will have to spend the entire journey inside a cramped, equipment–filled space no larger than two minivans.
During the trip, they will need to do everything they would do on Earth, including eating, sleeping, exercising, washing, and using the bathroom.
In order to meet these needs, NASA has adapted several pieces of technology from the International Space Station (ISS) to meet Artemis II’s space and mass constraints.
As they travel through space, the astronauts will be in a constant state of microgravity, which makes lying down on a bed to sleep impossible.
The crew will spend 10 days living inside the Orion spacecraft, completing a lunar flyby at an altitude of 6,400 miles (10,400 km) behind the ‘dark side’ of the moon
During the journey, each crew member will spend half an hour a day working out with a flywheel device (pictured)
To prevent muscle and bone atrophy during spaceflight, the crew will use the flywheel to perform rows and squats. Pictured: Artemis II crew member Victor Glover works out on the flywheel
The crew will use a similar toilet to the one found on the ISS, known as the Universal Waste Management System (pictured), that uses ‘air flow to pull fluid and solid waste away’
Instead, the astronauts will strap themselves into hammock–like sleeping bags that attach to handrails.
The astronauts have about eight hours of sleep scheduled each day, and all four astronauts will mostly sleep at the same time.
Another problem of microgravity is that astronauts can suffer from muscle and bone atrophy when they don’t need to fight Earth’s pull.
On Orion, the crew will need to spend 30 minutes per day using a ‘flywheel’ device that enables them to do exercises like squats and rows without gravity.
The crew can also expect to eat well during their journey, following a strictly controlled diet to keep their strength up.
According to an Instagram post, each crew member was able to choose their own food from a menu that included chicken curry, shrimp cocktail and chocolate pudding cake.
For a toilet, the Artemis II crew will use a device similar to the one on the ISS called the Universal Waste Management System.
This is essentially an elaborate hoover with a specialised nozzle that operates by ‘using air flow to pull fluid and solid waste away from the body’.
