#artemis-2

#artemis-2

NASA's next opportunity for the launch would be at the beginning or end of April. The US space agency hopes to put humans back on the moon as China forges ahead with a rival effort that is targeting 2030 at the latest for its first crewed mission. China's uncrewed Chang'e 7 mission is expected to be launched in 2026 for an exploration of the moon's south pole, and testing of its crewed spacecraft Mengzhou is also set to go ahead this year.

During Thursday's rehearsal, NASA was able to fuel the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with more than 700,000 gallons of liquid propellant and complete two runs of terminal count - the final step of the launch countdown - at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. While there was a hiccup due to a loss of ground communications, NASA was able to move to a backup system before the regular comms channels were back in operation.

The agency's Artemis 2 mission will see a crew of four astronauts travel far beyond the dark side of the Earth's natural satellite, reaching the farthest point that humans have ever traveled from Earth. They will get unfettered views of the Moon's surface during the flyby, getting within just 4,600 miles of its far side, before making their four-day return to Earth.

Specifically, NASA has spent years since its successful uncrewed Artemis 1 mission studying how the extreme temperatures during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere affect Orion's heat shield. The Orion capsule sustained major damage after making its return in 2022. It cracked and chipped as a result of the extreme conditions during reentry. Over two years after the mission concluded, NASA said it had identified the root cause,

Artemis 2 aims to test several crucial systems, such as astronaut life support, which will be used on the Artemis 3 mission, scheduled to land on the Moon in 2027. The program's goal, said Hawkins, is to maintain a continuous human presence on the Moon. Part of this effort will be to test technologies developed in collaboration with private companies and international partners, including Europe, which could help carry the first astronauts to the next step: Mars.