After multiple delays, rocket repairs, and a restructuring of the program to return to the moon, the Artemis II mission is ready for liftoff. If there are no problems, four astronauts will inaugurate NASA’s new lunar campaign on Wednesday, more than 50 years after the Apollo era.
The Artemis II crew will not descend to the moon; that won’t happen until Artemis IV. But their capsule will fly 6,000 to 9,000 kilometers over the surface of the hidden side of Earth’s satellite, circle it, and make the return trip home. The main objective of the mission is to demonstrate that the space agency has the technological capability to send people to the moon safely and without mishap.
Once this is achieved, NASA will begin preparations for new lunar landings during the following years, which will aim to consolidate the first lunar bases in history and with it, the sustained and sustainable presence of human beings on the satellite.
When and Where Can You Watch the Artemis II Liftoff?
The new launch window opens Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 pm EDT and will last for two hours. This means that once all the protocol tests are done, liftoff of the Artemis II mission could occur anytime between 6:24 pm and 8:24 pm EDT. There is no exact time, because the trip is cleared based on technical, weather, and space traffic conditions. If something prevents the launch this Wednesday, NASA has five more days to try again.
Monday, April 6, would be the last day of this launch window. If unsuccessful this time, the launch window would be pushed to April 30.
According to NASA, the live broadcast will be available on its YouTube channel. The stream will begin at 7:45 am with coverage of tank operations to load the booster. Meanwhile, at 12:50 pm the official coverage will begin and carry on until liftoff. Two hours after the launch, NASA will hold a press conference.
Mission Details
The astronauts will take off in a NASA SLS rocket and travel inside the Orion capsule, described as a spacecraft about the size of a large van. They will orbit Earth for at least two days to test the onboard instruments. Then they will align the spacecraft to begin its journey to the moon. By the fifth or sixth day of flight, the capsule is expected to enter the moon’s sphere of influence, where the satellite’s gravity is stronger than Earth’s, and dock with its orbit.
When the spacecraft passes “behind” the moon, the most dangerous phase will begin. The crew will be out of contact with Earth for about 50 minutes due to interference from the moon itself. During this crucial moment, the crew must capture images and data from the moon, taking advantage of the far-more-advanced technology they carry than was available during the Apollo era.
After completing the return, the capsule will head home, taking advantage of the Earth-moon gravity field to save fuel. According to NASA estimates, by the 10th day of flight the crew will be close to reaching the planet.