NASA's Artemis II Mission Embarks on Historic Journey Around the Moon

Original: The Artemis II mission has started its 10-day journey around the moon

Engadget•Apr 2, 20262 min

In a Nutshell

NASA's Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2023, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon. This mission marks the first crewed Artemis flight and aims to pave the way for future lunar exploration, despite encountering a waste-management issue shortly after launch.

Key Points

01Artemis II is the first crewed mission of NASA's Artemis program.
02The mission launched on April 1, 2023, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
03Astronauts reported a problem with the waste-management system shortly after launch.
04The crew will demonstrate manual piloting of the Orion spacecraft.
05The mission is expected to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.

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Full Summary

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully launched on April 1, 2023, at 6:35 PM Eastern time from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission carries NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the moon, marking the first crewed flight of the Artemis program and the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft system. Shortly after launch, the astronauts enjoyed stunning views of Earth but encountered an issue with the waste-management system, the first toilet designed for deep-space missions. Fortunately, they have backup waste collection bags, similar to those used by Apollo crews. By 10:43 PM Eastern, the Orion spacecraft successfully separated from the SLS rocket, and Glover began manually piloting the capsule to test its maneuverability for future lunar landings. The mission is set to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.

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