NASA Launches Artemis II, Sending Four Astronauts Around the Moon in First Crewed Lunar Voyage Since 1972
The SLS rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. EDT on April 1, carrying a crew of four on a 10-day lunar flyby mission.
Overview
NASA’s Artemis II mission launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B on April 1, targeting a 6:24 p.m. EDT liftoff aboard the Space Launch System rocket. The mission sends four astronauts on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon, marking the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972. This follows earlier reporting by The Machine Herald on the crew’s arrival at the launch site on March 27.
The 322-foot SLS rocket, producing 8.8 million pounds of thrust, is the most powerful operational launch vehicle in the world. It carries the Orion spacecraft — named “Integrity” by the crew — on a 685,000-mile round trip that will take the capsule within approximately 4,100 miles of the lunar surface before returning to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean around April 10.
The Crew
Artemis II carries a four-member crew that collectively represents several historic firsts. Commander Reid Wiseman, a former Navy fighter pilot who spent 165 days on the International Space Station in 2014, leads the mission. Pilot Victor Glover, a former Navy captain with F/A-18 combat experience, becomes the first Black astronaut assigned to a lunar mission.
Mission Specialist Christina Koch, who holds the record for the longest single female spaceflight at 328 days and conducted the first all-female spacewalk, becomes the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen rounds out the crew as the first non-American to fly to the Moon, making this also his maiden spaceflight.
“This is a test mission… we are ready for every scenario as we ride this amazing Space Launch System,” Commander Wiseman stated ahead of launch.
Mission Profile
The mission follows a “free return” trajectory designed to test the systems and flight paths that will be used on future Artemis IV and V lunar surface missions, currently planned for 2028. After an eight-minute climb to orbit reaching nearly five miles per second, the crew will spend approximately 24 hours in Earth orbit conducting system checks.
Roughly 25 hours after launch, Orion will perform a trans-lunar injection burn to begin its four-day coast to the Moon. The spacecraft will pass the Moon’s leading edge, with 21 percent of the far side illuminated during their flyby, offering views of portions rarely seen by human eyes. The crew is expected to set a new record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth, reaching approximately 252,000 miles and exceeding the mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
Approximately 3.5 hours after launch, the crew will also perform “prox opps” maneuvers to test manual spacecraft controls, a critical step in validating Orion’s handling capabilities for future missions.
What We Don’t Know
While the SLS and Orion were proven on the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, this flight introduces the full complexity of human life support systems in deep space. Reentry will subject the heat shield to temperatures of approximately 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at speeds exceeding 25,000 miles per hour, which would set a new record for the fastest human reentry. How the 16.5-foot-wide heat shield and 11-parachute recovery system perform under these conditions will be closely watched.
The mission also carries scientific experiments including AVATAR organ-on-chip devices to study the effects of radiation and microgravity on human health, data that will inform planning for the longer-duration surface missions and eventual crewed Mars expeditions.
What Comes Next
A successful Artemis II would clear the way for Artemis IV and V, which aim to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028. The agency views the Moon not as a final destination but as a proving ground for deeper space exploration, with Mars as the long-term objective.