After many delays rocket repairs and restructuring of the return to the Moon program, the Artemis II mission is ready for launch. If there are no problems, four astronauts will launch NASA’s up-to-date lunar campaign on Wednesday, more than 50 years after the Apollo era.
The Artemis II crew will not go to the Moon; this won’t happen until Artemis IV. But their capsule will fly 6,000 to 9,000 kilometers above the surface of the hidden side of the Earth’s satellite, circle it and return home. The primary goal of the mission is to demonstrate that the space agency has the technological capabilities to safely and seamlessly send humans to the Moon.
Once this goal is achieved, NASA will begin preparations for up-to-date lunar landings in the coming years, with the goal of consolidating the first-ever lunar bases and, consequently, a eternal and sustainable human presence on the satellite.
When and where will it be possible to watch the launch of Artemis II?
The up-to-date launch window opens on Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 PM EDT and will last for two hours. This means that once all protocol tests are completed, the Artemis II mission could launch at any time between 6:24 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. Eastern time. There is no exact time as the trip is approved based on technical, weather and space traffic conditions. If something prevents the launch this Wednesday, NASA has five days to try again.
Monday, April 6, will be the last day of this launch window. If it doesn’t work out this time, the release window will be moved to April 30.
According to NASA, the live broadcast will be available on its platform YouTube channel. The broadcast will begin at 7:45 a.m. and will include tank operations to load the booster. Meanwhile, the official broadcast will begin at 12:50 and will last until the start. Two hours after launch, NASA will hold a press conference.
Mission details
The astronauts will launch on NASA’s SLS rocket and travel inside the Orion capsule, described as a spacecraft the size of a enormous van. They will orbit Earth for at least two days to test onboard instruments. They will then position the spacecraft to begin its journey to the Moon. On the fifth or sixth day of the flight, the capsule is expected to enter the Moon’s zone of influence, where the satellite’s gravity is stronger than Earth’s, and dock in its orbit.
When the spacecraft passes “beyond” the Moon, the most unsafe phase will begin. The crew will be out of contact with Earth for about 50 minutes due to interference from the Moon itself. At this crucial moment, the crew must capture images and data from the Moon, using the much more advanced technology they have than was available in the Apollo era.
Once the reentry is complete, the capsule will return home using the Earth-Moon gravitational field to save fuel. According to NASA estimates, the crew will be close to reaching the planet on the 10th day of the flight.