NASA announces humans could return to the Moon in less than 6 months

NASA has shared new details of its Artemis II mission, confirming it plans to launch a manned spacecraft to the Moon – and it’s happening sooner than you might think.

It’s been half a century since any country has taken on a crewed mission to the Moon. 

But that’s all set to change thanks to NASA’s Artemis program.

The US space agency said it plans to send 10 astronauts on a lunar mission early next year.

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A team of four astronauts will blast off to the Moon and back

Along ambitious plans to send a manned spacecraft to Mars, NASA has been diligently working away on its Artemis mission for the past few years, and has even carried out a dramatic simulation ocean rescue to ensure all its bases are covered. 

Part of that is the Artemis II mission, which aims to send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, on a 10-day round trip to the Moon and back to Earth.

The four-strong team of astronauts won’t land on the Moon, but they will be flying further into space than anyone has before. 

“They’re going at least 5,000 nautical miles (around 5753 miles) past the Moon, which is much higher than previous missions have gone,” Artemis II flight director, Jeff Radigan said. 

Previously NASA had said they planned to get the mission underway at the end of April. 

But in an update this week, the US space agency revealed it had pulled that date forward, with the crew potentially blasting off as early as February next year.

“The launch window could open as early as the fifth of February, but we want to emphasize that safety is our top priority,” NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator Lakiesha Hawkins said at the conference.

NASA has previously said those interested will be able to track the mission as it goes, a bit like an extreme version of FlightRadar.

The NASA mission’s end goal is to send astronauts back to the lunar surface

Although this mission won’t see the team land on the Moon, that is the end goal for the Artemis program. 

Artemis II will serve as a crucial test run before Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. 

The success of Artemis II will also help to determine when the next stage can take place, although NASA has tentatively said it could be as soon as 2027.

“Artemis III will build on the crewed Artemis II flight test, adding new capabilities with the human landing system and advanced spacesuits to send the first humans to explore the lunar South Pole region,” NASA said.

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