The mission is now in flight.
At 6:35 pm on Wednesday, April 1 (US EDT), the Space Launch System rocket of the Artemis II mission of the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was launched ftom the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Inside the Orion spacecraft are four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen—who are going on a test flight to the Moon and back, with the mission being the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.
The approximately 10-day mission is also the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, with its its objectives including the demonstration of life support systems for the first time with crew and lay the foundation for an enduring presence on the Moon, which will be precursor to future missions to Mars.
“Aboard Orion are four remarkable explorers preparing for the first crewed flight of this rocket and spacecraft, a true test mission that will carry them farther and faster than any humans in a generation,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
He added, “Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the Moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our Moon Base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead.”
After reaching space, Orion deployed its solar array wings, which enabled the spacecraft to receive energy from the Sun, while the crew and engineers on the ground immediately began transitioning the spacecraft from launch to flight operations to start checking out key systems.
NASA added, “About 49 minutes into the test flight, the SLS rocket’s upper stage fired to put Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. A second planned burn by the stage will propel Orion, which the crew named “Integrity,” into a high Earth orbit extending about 46,000 miles beyond Earth. After the burn, Orion will separate from the stage, flying free on its own.“
In several hours, a ring on the rocket’s upper stage, which will be a safe distance away from the spacecraft, will deploy four CubeSats to perform scientific investigations and technology demonstrations.
The spacecraft will then remain in high Earth orbit for about a day, where the crew will conduct a manual pilot demonstration to test Orion’s handling capabilities, furthered the agency.
“If all systems remain healthy, mission controllers will give Orion’s European-built service module a command to conduct the translunar injection burn on Thursday, April 2,” which NASA explained is an approximately six-minute firing to send the spacecraft on a trajectory that will simultaneously carry crew around the Moon, while also harnessing lunar gravity to slingshot them back to Earth.
During a planned multi-hour lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, the astronauts will take photographs and provide observations of the Moon’s surface as the first people to lay eyes on some areas of the far side.
“Although the lunar far side will only be partially illuminated during the flyby, the conditions should create shadows that stretch across the surface, enhancing relief and revealing depth, ridges, slopes and crater rims that are often difficult to detect under full illumination,” told the American space agency.
Crew observations and other human health scientific investigations during the mission, such as AVATAR, will then inform science during future Moon missions, it said.
Following a successful lunar flyby, the astronauts are expected to return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
“Artemis II is a test flight, and the test has just begun. The team that built this vehicle, repaired it, and prepared it for flight has given our crew the machine they need to go prove what it can do,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya.
NASA also noted that it will send Artemis astronauts on “increasingly difficult missions” to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.