The times and months roll by, you’re watching a brand new video from one of many Artemis II crew, and he says one thing that makes you sit up.
“We’re two-and-a-half months from our first potential launch time,” NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman mentioned in his weekly replace from the Johnson Area Middle in Texas, the place he and fellow NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, together with Canadian Area Company astronaut Jeremy Hansen, have been in coaching since after they had been introduced as a part of the crew in 2023.
Sure, that’s proper — people could possibly be heading to the moon once more as early as February 2026.
Within the crew’s newest weekly replace, shared on X on Tuesday, Wiseman mentioned that with the launch probably simply across the nook, “We undoubtedly really feel the strain approaching, the workforce are preparing and we’re honing our expertise.”
The American astronaut delivered his replace from the inside of a mock-up of the Orion spacecraft that can take them on a 10-day voyage across the moon.
Wiseman additionally confirmed off the crew’s trusty Nikon D5 DSLR digicam that can seize historic photos of their journey to Earth’s nearest neighbor.
The crew gained’t be touchdown on the lunar floor, however their mission paves the way in which for Artemis III, which is able to put the primary people on the moon for the reason that remaining Apollo mission in 1972. Artemis III is at the moment set for 2027, though that date might nicely slip as NASA and its companions proceed with the advanced preparations for the much-anticipated mission.
NASA examined the Orion spacecraft within the Artemis I mission, which occurred in 2022. The flight surfaced plenty of points with the capsule, which have been mounted for automobile’s first-ever crewed flight. The SLS rocket that can carry toe astronauts to area has additionally flown simply the as soon as, additionally within the Artemis I mission.
The preliminary Artemis missions are laying the foundations for a sustained human presence on the moon, together with building of the Gateway lunar area station and eventual crewed missions to Mars.
In fact, it’s attainable that the Artemis II crew gained’t get away in February, with some suggesting a spring launch is extra probably. Both approach, it lastly feels just like the historic human flight is basically about to occur.
