The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that the long-delayed launch of its Artemis 2 could be launched on April 1. This is the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. NASA had announced overhaul of Artemis lunar programme amid technical delays.
The US space agency announced in February a sudden revamp of the Artemis programme, including the addition of a test mission before an eventual lunar landing. “We are on track for a launch as early as April 1, and we are working toward that date,” says a senior NASA official, Lori Glaze, at a press conference after technical difficulties delayed the launch initially planned for February.
“It’s a test flight, and it is not without risk, but our team and our hardware are ready. Just keep in mind we still have work” to do, Glaze said. While the first launch window comes Wednesday, April 1, at 6:24 pm (2224 GMT), several others will follow days later. “We would anticipate on the order of about four opportunities within that six-day period,” Ms. Glaze added.
The rocket will be crewed by three American astronauts — mission commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch — and Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen. After the launch, NASA diagrammes indicate Artemis 2 will circumnavigate Earth before leaving orbit to travel to the Moon without landing, for a lunar flyby before returning to Earth and splashing down in the ocean.
“Exactly how close the Artemis II crew will fly to the Moon will depend on when they launch,” ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 miles (6,437 to 9,656 km) above the lunar surface, because the Moon will “be in a different spot for each of the possible launch dates.” The first Artemis flew much closer to the Moon — 80 miles above the surface — but NASA said Artemis 2 would still go “tens of thousands of miles closer than any human has been in more than 50 years.
“At this distance the Moon will appear to the crew to be about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.” The mission is to be followed by Artemis 3 with the goal of “rendezvous in low-Earth orbit” of at least one lunar lander.
