Artemis II Mission Underway

NASA’s Artemis II mission is officially in progress, carrying a crew of four astronauts on a historic 10-day trip around the moon and back. The mission represents the first crewed flight of the Artemis program and the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century.

Launch Details and Crew

The Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at approximately 6:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Initial Orbit and Upcoming Maneuvers

Following a successful launch, the Orion spacecraft is now in Earth orbit, with the crew getting some rest. NASA reported that the spacecraft is currently hundreds of thousands of miles from the moon.

Perigee Raise Burn Scheduled

The astronauts are scheduled to wake up at 7 a.m. ET on Thursday to prepare for a perigee raise burn. According to NASA, “This burn will lift the lowest point of Orion’s orbit around Earth. Together with the apogee raise burn completed earlier, these burns will shape the spacecraft’s initial orbit and prepare it for later translunar operations.”

After the burn is completed, the crew will return to sleep around 9:40 a.m. ET.

Mission Objectives

While the Artemis II mission will not include a lunar landing, the crew will be collecting valuable data about the moon. This information will be crucial for planning and executing future missions as part of the Artemis program.

Live coverage of the Artemis II mission, the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the crew is available. Further details about launch day can be found here.