4 astronauts set for record-breaking 10-day journey around the Moon

International

AFTER decades of waiting, humans are poised to orbit the Moon again.

NASA is targeting early March for the Artemis II mission, a 10-day journey that will carry four astronauts beyond Earth’s orbit and around the far side of the Moon, marking the farthest voyage into space in half a century.

The mission is a crucial stepping stone for a future lunar landing, allowing NASA to test systems and procedures for astronauts traveling beyond Earth orbit.

If all goes according to plan, the crew will orbit the Moon’s far side, which never faces Earth, before returning home safely.

NASA announced March 6 as the earliest launch date following a successful “wet dress rehearsal,” a key pre-launch test where the rocket was fully fueled and taken through the countdown sequence. This was the Artemis team’s second attempt after a hydrogen fuel leak cut short an earlier practice run.

Lori Glaze, NASA’s acting administrator, said in a BBC report, “Every night I look up at the Moon and I see it and I get real excited because I can feel she’s calling us and we’re ready.” She added that the excitement is building for Artemis II and confirmed the rocket’s issues with seals and filters have been fixed, allowing a full countdown and fueling demonstration.

The crew includes three Americans—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch—and one Canadian, Jeremy Hansen. After the rehearsal, the astronauts will enter quarantine before launch.

They will ride NASA’s 98-meter (322-foot) Space Launch System (SLS), which has flown only once before on the uncrewed Artemis I mission in November 2022.

Atop the rocket sits the Orion capsule, roughly the size of a minibus, where the astronauts will live, eat, work, and sleep during their 10-day mission.

The journey begins with a day in Earth orbit, followed by a four-day trip to the Moon. The crew will circle the far side at 6,500 to 9,500 kilometers (4,000 to 6,000 miles) above the surface, spending several hours observing and photographing the Moon before returning over four days.

The mission will conclude with a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

Success with Artemis II is a stepping stone to Artemis III, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2028.

SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, will develop the lunar lander, though delays in Starship development have prompted NASA to request a streamlined plan. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space company, has also been asked to propose an accelerated lunar plan.

The U.S. faces growing competition in space exploration. China aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, with both nations targeting the lunar south pole for potential bases.(MyTVCebu)