NASA
The four astronauts NASA wants to send to lunar orbit for 10 days as early as February 2026.
For the first time since 1972. North American agency predicts the launch of the Artemis II mission very soon, with “great desire to be the first to return to the surface of the moon.”
NASA has announced new advances in preparations for the mission Artemis IIwhich intends to send four astronauts around the moon and return to the earth, in what will be the first human flight beyond the low terrestrial orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The American space agency indicated that the launch window could open on February 5, 2026.
Artemis II will be a historic milestone for NASA, with astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on board. The flight will have the expected duration of 10 dias and will allow you to test the capsule orion capsule capsule in manned missions beyond the earth’s orbit.
From launch to moon: how everything will happen
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, designed to propel Orion, has already been assembled and considered ready for the flight, according to. The capsule is in the final stages of preparation and will be coupled to the top of the rocket later this year. In early 2026, the set will be transferred to the Kennedy Space Center launch platform, where it will be connected to land support systems.
There will be a “general test with fuel”, which consists of loading the rocket with liquid hydrogen and oxygen and simulating the decreasing count to 29 seconds before release. After this test, the fuel will be removed and the vehicle prepared for the actual release.
The mission foresees that, about three hours after the launch, the Orion capsule separates from the upper stage of the SLS and remains in terrestrial orbit for approximately 24 hours. During this period, astronauts will perform verification of life support systems, propellers and other critical equipment.
If everything is within the parameters, Orion will run an ignition of the main engine to put the ship on a free return trajectory around the moon, ensuring that it will return to Earth even in case of failures in the propulsion system. The maximum distance of the planned moon is between 8,000 and 14,500 kilometers.
One of the main objectives of the mission will be to test Orion thermal shield during the atmospheric reentry. During the test flight Artemis I, in 2022, pieces of the shield ablative material stood out unexpectedly due to the accumulation of gases released during the decomposition of the material. After two years of investigation and testing, NASA concluded that the modification of the reentry trajectory could reduce the pressure on the shield, ensuring the safety of astronauts.
NASA stressed, however, that there is no hurry to launch the mission, although it recognizes that it is inserted in a context of Spatial competition with China.
Artemis II is also a preparatory step for the Artemis 3which intends to take two astronauts to students in the South Lunar Polo region in an attempt to explore resources such as water ice. Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s interim associate director, said that “there is a desire to be the first to return to the moon surface.”
