The first crewed flight around the Moon in over 50 years aims to build a lasting human presence on the lunar surface and lay the groundwork for future journeys to Mars.
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NASA has announced that its next mission to the Moon could take place as early as February next year. If successful, it will mark the first time humans have travelled this far from Earth in more than 50 years.
The mission, called Artemis II, is the first crewed flight under NASA’s ambitious Artemis programme. It aims not only to return humans to the lunar surface but also to establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon, paving the way for future exploration of Mars.
Artemis II will carry a four-person crew on a 10-day journey around the Moon before returning safely to Earth. Among the astronauts, Christina Koch will become the first woman to fly around the Moon, while Victor Glover will become the first Black astronaut to complete the same journey. Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen also join the crew.
The mission will test critical systems aboard the Orion spacecraft, built by NASA and Airbus, which has been designed to support human life in deep space.
"We provide the service module, so that's the module behind the crew module that basically contains everything that we need to keep the astronauts alive on their journey to the moon," said Siân Cleaver, the lead for Orion’s European Service Module at Airbus.
She said it has water tanks, tanks of oxygen and nitrogen to provide the air. It also has avionics systems and some solar arrays so it can generate all the power needed for the whole Orion spacecraft.
"I guess most importantly, it's got the propulsion module as well that will actually provide the thrust to push the astronauts to the moon and bring them back," she added.
Preparing for a sustainable lunar presence
While humans first walked on the Moon during the Apollo missions more than five decades ago, Artemis is focused on establishing a longer-term human presence.
"Apollo was very much about short-term missions, you go there, you do some science, you come back. But with Artemis, it's all about building up a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon" said Cleaver.
"So we want to use the moon as a stepping stone for future travel to Mars. It's very difficult to go directly from Earth to Mars; it takes a lot of fuel, a lot of energy to get there, so it's much better if you can use something like the moon as a leap pad to take you there".
The astronauts are already training for the mission at facilities designed to replicate the Moon’s terrain, ensuring they are ready for the unique challenges of living and working on another planetary body.
Last week, NASA also unveiled its next class of astronauts, selecting ten scientists, engineers, and test pilots from more than 8,000 applicants.
