In April, 2026 at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew along with the Artemis ll will get launched far into space and around the moon. Together they represent humanity while on their mission of spending ten days on the moon.
The Artemis ll launch will send four astronauts into space. Their names are Reid Wiseman (the commander), Victor Glover (the pilot), Christina Koch (one of the mission specialists), and Jeremy Hansen (the other mission specialist). The launch itself will be similar to that of the Artemis l, where the jettisons, the boosters, and service module panels will detach from the main system, just before the main stage engine shuts off and the main stage separates.
First, the spacecraft is going to go up high into the sky, orbiting in an elliptical shape at an altitude of 115 by 1,400 miles. The first orbit will last about 90 minutes, then the spacecraft will be raised higher into the atmosphere. The next orbit, which will be larger than the first, will take about 23.5 hours and is going to be an ellipse of 115 to 46,000 miles altitude.
Then, the crew will fly to the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage), while being monitored by the workers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The crew will use cameras and the view from the ship’s windows, to line up with the ICPS. While they do this they will also be checking the condition of the spacecraft. After they do all of that, then the crew will dock the ship and look at the ICPS to see if it has any damage or needs something to be fixed or adjusted.
After that, the crew will undock and make its way towards the moon. The crew will then travel about 4,600 miles on the far side of the moon, where they will be able to see both the Moon and the Earth. The return trip will last maybe four days, and the entire mission should last ten days.
The hope of the trip is for it to be another step into the future of mankind on the moon. Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis mission manager says “Together, these test flights will demonstrate the capabilities we need to land the first woman and next man on the Moon and enable sustainable missions for decades to come. We will take the experience gained exploring the Moon to prepare for the next giant leap to Mars.” Let’s see if this trip to the moon goes well, and what we will learn from it.
