Artemis II Launched, Humans Head Beyond Earth Orbit After 54 Years

In a historic milestone, NASA successfully launched its crewed lunar mission Artemis II, marking humanity’s return to deep space travel for the first time since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

The mission carries four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon.

ission Highlights

• First human mission to leave low Earth orbit in nearly 54 years
• Uses the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket
• Crew travels aboard the Orion spacecraft
• Will follow a free-return trajectory, circling the Moon and returning safely to Earth
• Closest approach: ~7,500 km above the Moon’s surface
• Splashdown planned in the Pacific Ocean

o Landing, But a Critical Step

Unlike its successor, Artemis II will not land on the Moon. Instead, it is designed to:

• Test life support systems with astronauts onboard
• Validate deep-space travel capabilities
• Lay the groundwork for future missions, including human landing

hat’s Next?

• The follow-up mission, Artemis III (planned for 2028), aims to achieve a human landing near the lunar south pole
• Artemis II is seen as the foundation for a long-term human presence on the Moon, and eventually, missions to Mars

Global Cooperation: Artemis Accords

The mission aligns with the principles of the Artemis Accords, a set of non-binding guidelines established in 2020 to promote:

• Transparency and peaceful exploration
• Interoperability among nations
• Responsible and sustainable use of space

India joined the accords on June 21, 2023, becoming the 27th signatory, though it is not part of the Artemis Programme itself.

Source: NASA