Trump's Message of Support

Former President Donald Trump delivered a message to the Artemis II astronauts prior to their scheduled launch from Florida. He stated the U.S. was “winning in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between,” emphasizing American dominance in multiple spheres.

In a social media post, Trump wrote: “We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between — Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS. Nobody comes close! America doesn’t just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching. God bless our incredible Astronauts, God bless NASA, and God bless the Greatest Nation ever to exist, the United States of America!”

Artemis II: A Historic Mission

The Artemis II mission represents the first crewed journey beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission to the moon in December 1972, when Richard Nixon was president. This mission is a crucial step in NASA’s plans for sustained lunar exploration and eventual missions to Mars.

Mission Objectives and Trajectory

Artemis II will not land on the moon. Instead, the mission is designed to thoroughly test the Orion spacecraft and its life-support systems with a crew onboard. The spacecraft will travel around the far side of the moon, reaching a distance of approximately 250,000 miles from Earth – farther than any human has traveled since Apollo 17.

NASA officials have emphasized the importance of this testing phase. “Orion is developed to be capable of sending astronauts to the Moon and is a crucial step toward eventually sending crews on to Mars,” according to NASA’s website. The Orion spacecraft is intended to be the primary vehicle for carrying crews to the moon and safely returning them to Earth on future Artemis missions.

Launch Details and Astronaut Crew

The launch is currently scheduled for 6:24 p.m. ET on September 23rd, with a two-hour window to accommodate potential delays. As of 3:41 p.m. ET, the four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – were aboard the Orion capsule.

Prior to entering the capsule, the crew signed their names in the “white room” after ascending to the launch pad via elevator. If successful, the astronauts will spend 10 days in the capsule. Following liftoff, Orion will initially enter high Earth orbit before utilizing its engines to break free from Earth’s gravity and begin its journey to the moon. The spacecraft will then execute a free-return trajectory, swinging around the far side of the moon before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.