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IN BRIEF:
- Artemis II will send astronauts beyond the moon for the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
- The 32-story rocket rose from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida about 9.30am AEDT Thursday.
On Thursday, four astronauts embarked on a groundbreaking mission around the moon, marking humanity’s first lunar journey in over 50 years. This thrilling expedition kicks off NASA’s ambitious plan for a lunar landing within the next two years.
The mission, featuring three American astronauts and one Canadian, launched on a towering 98-meter rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at approximately 9:30 a.m. AEDT Thursday (6:30 p.m. Wednesday local time). Tens of thousands of spectators gathered to witness the beginning of this new space exploration era.
Much like the iconic Apollo missions of the 1960s and ’70s, crowds packed nearby roads and beaches, eager to catch a glimpse of this historic event. This mission represents NASA’s most significant stride toward establishing a lasting presence on the moon.
Artemis II took off from the same launch site that once sent Apollo astronauts to the lunar surface decades ago.
As the Space Launch System rocket roared into the evening sky with a nearly full moon shining 400,000 kilometers away, the few remaining Apollo astronauts celebrated this new generation’s daring venture.
Earlier, the crowd applauded and cheered again as the astronauts boarded their astrovan for the 14km ride to the launch pad.
Commander Reid Wiseman thanked the throngs who gathered to see them off.
“It’s a great day for us. It’s a great day for this team,” Wiseman called out.
They won’t pause for a stopover or orbit the moon like Apollo 8’s first lunar visitors did so famously on Christmas Eve 1968.
But they stand to become the most distant humans ever when their capsule zooms past the moon and continues another 6,400km beyond, before making a U-turn and tearing straight home to a splashdown in the Pacific.
Once settled in a high orbit around Earth, the astronauts planned to assume manual control and practice steering their capsule around the rocket’s detached upper stage, venturing within 10 metres.
NASA wants to know how Orion handles in case the self-flying feature fails and the pilots need to take control.
Four days later during the lunar flyby, the moon will appear to be the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.
The astronauts will take turns peering through Orion’s windows with cameras.
If the lighting is right, they should see features never before viewed through human eyes.
They’ll also catch snippets of a total solar eclipse, donning eclipse glasses as the moon briefly blocks the sun from their perspective and the corona is revealed.
All of NASA’s moon plans — a surge in launches over the next several years leading to a sustainable moon base for astronauts assisted by robotic rovers and drones — hinge on Artemis II going well.
It’s been more than three years since Artemis I, the only other time NASA’s SLS rocket and Orion capsule have soared.
With no one aboard, the Artemis I capsule lacked life-support equipment and other crew essentials like a water dispenser and toilet.
These systems are now making their space debut on Artemis II, ratcheting up the risk.
That’s why NASA is waiting a full day before committing Wiseman and his crew to a four-day trip to the moon and four-day journey back.
Astronauts last flew to the moon during Apollo 17 in 1972.
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