Für mich ein unglaublich spannendes Thema, heute gehts los, hier auch live um 18:50 Uhr deutscher Zeit.
Artemis II is the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, scheduled to launch on April 1, 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. This historic 10-day test flight will carry four astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back to Earth, marking the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. [1, 2, 3]
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Mission Overview
Objective: To verify the performance of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems with humans on board in the deep space environment.
Trajectory: The crew will follow a „free-return trajectory,“ looping approximately 4,600 miles (7,400 km) behind the far side of the Moon before being pulled back to Earth by gravity.
Duration: Approximately 10 days.
Splashdown: The mission is expected to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on April 10, 2026. [1, 4, 5, 6, 7]
The Artemis II Crew
The mission features a diverse international crew: [1, 8, 9]
Commander: Reid Wiseman (NASA)
Pilot: Victor Glover (NASA) — the first person of color on a lunar mission.
Mission Specialist: Christina Koch (NASA) — the first woman on a lunar mission.
Mission Specialist: Jeremy Hansen (CSA) — the first Canadian to fly to the Moon. [1, 10, 11, 12, 13]
Viewing: NASA will provide live coverage starting at 12:50 p.m. EDT on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the NASA YouTube channel. [1, 2, 14, 15, 16]
Why It Matters
This mission serves as a critical stepping stone for Artemis III, which aims to land the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface later this decade. It tests the essential technologies and operations needed for a long-term human presence on the Moon and eventual crewed missions to Mars. [17, 18, 19, 20, 21]
Would you like to know more about the specific scientific experiments the crew will conduct or how to track the spacecraft in real-time?
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