Artemis II: NASA’s first crewed lunar flight in 50 years

Artemis II was launched using NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is the first crewed flight under NASA’s 'Artemis Program'.

This historic 10-day mission is the first crewed mission near the Moon after more than 50 years since the Apollo missions (1969-72). This mission uses NASA’s 'Space Launch System' rocket and the 'Orion' spacecraft.

For about 10 days, they will travel around the Moon and return to Earth without landing on the Moon.

During this, astronauts will conduct various tests to ensure that the spacecraft is functioning properly and is completely safe, as humans have never traveled in it before.

They will also test the 'manual control' of the spacecraft during docking simulations, which will help in preparing for future missions. Artemis is NASA’s flagship human space exploration program aimed at sending humans back to the Moon.

India becomes the 27th member country of the Artemis Accords

India became the 27th member of the US-led Artemis Accords on 21 June 2023. Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu signed it with NASA in Washington.

In 2020, the Artemis Accords were launched, which is a set of international agreements to ensure peaceful and transparent cooperation in space exploration (more than 60 countries have signed them, including India in 2023).

Crew Profile: Artemis II

Reid Wiseman (Commander): A veteran NASA astronaut and former Chief Astronaut. Victor Glover (Pilot): The first Black person to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.

Christina Koch (Mission Specialist): The first woman to travel around the Moon. Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist): An astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), he will be the first non-American to leave Earth’s orbit.

Artemis II: Launch of four CubeSats

The second planned firing in this phase will place Orion—named “Integrity” by the crew—into a high Earth orbit extending about 46,000 miles from Earth.

Within a few hours, a ring attached to the rocket’s upper stage, positioned at a safe distance from the spacecraft, will release four CubeSats (small satellites). These satellites belong to Argentina’s Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, the German Aerospace Center, the Korea Aerospace Administration, and the Saudi Space Agency, and are intended for scientific investigation and technology demonstration.

Artemis Mission Series:

Artemis I (2022): An uncrewed mission that successfully tested the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon.

Artemis II (2026): The first crewed mission to pass near the Moon without landing.

Artemis III (2027): A demonstration mission to test commercial landers in low Earth orbit (Low Earth Orbit).

Artemis IV (2028): Targeting the first Artemis lunar landing.

Artemis V (2028): Beginning the construction of a lunar base with scientific research and a second lunar landing.