As NASA prepares to launch its historic Artemis II mission, the BBC is going to be following it every day in a special new season of 13 Minutes, the BBC World Service’s space podcast.

The new season, 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II, will see daily episodes follow NASA’s mission to send humans further into space than ever before – with the Artemis II mission potentially beating the distance record set by the troubled Apollo 13 mission around the far side of the Moon.

Every mission needs a great crew, and this season will be hosted by space scientist and 13 Minutes presenter, Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; British astronaut, Tim Peake; and US space journalist Kristin Fisher, whose parents were Space Shuttle astronauts.

The BBC News Science Editor, Rebecca Morelle, and Science Correspondent, Pallab Ghosh, will be contributing to the podcast too.

NASA’s Artemis II mission is aiming to be the first since 1972 to send humans around the Moon. More than 53 years ago, Apollo 17 was the last crewed spacecraft to land on the Moon. Artemis II won’t be doing that but will be travelling to, and looping around the Moon, in preparation for the plan for a Moon landing in 2027 with Artemis III.

If all goes as planned, four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – will soon lift off to be the first to travel beyond the Moon in more than half a century. They will demonstrate the manoeuvrability of the Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit before making a slingshot round the far side of the Moon – travelling further from Earth than anyone ever has – and then using the Moon’s gravity to send them back home.

The whole journey is expected to last 10 days with the next potential launch window in early March 2026. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is scheduled to release its first episode around two days before launch.

Episodes of 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II will be released daily.

It will also be broadcast on the BBC World Service during the Outside Source radio programme every weekday at 5.30pm GMT, and at the weekend during The Newsroom programme, Saturday at 6.30pm and Sunday at 7.30pm GMT.

In keeping with previous seasons of the BBC’s podcast about epic space stories, 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II will be all about telling the story of the mission but, in this case, it will be as it develops in real time.

Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, podcast co-host, said: “The Artemis II mission is a defining moment in space exploration, and 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is about bringing people with us on that journey. To be able to tell that story as it unfolds, in real time, is incredibly exciting. I’m thrilled to be co-presenting this special season of 13 Minutes alongside Tim and Kristin.”

Tim Peake, podcast co-host, said: “Having lived and worked in space, I know just how extraordinary these missions are, not only for the astronauts, but for everyone on the ground who makes them possible. Artemis II marks the first time in over fifty years that humans will travel around the Moon, and through this podcast we’ll be discussing the risks, the rewards and the remarkable teamwork behind the mission as it happens.”

Kristin Fisher, podcast co-host, said: “I grew up surrounded by astronauts and spaceflight, but Artemis II marks a bold leap into a new era of exploration. With 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II, we’re telling the deeply human story behind the mission: the anticipation, the risk, and the awe of watching people journey farther from Earth than any humans have in more than half a century.”

All seasons of 13 Minutes have been made by the BBC’s Audio Science team, and they are currently working on a further two seasons, to follow Artemis II.

Jon Manel, Commissioning Editor, BBC World Service, said:

“13 Minutes is all about epic space stories, so it’s a no brainer that it has to tell the story of the Artemis II mission. As with its previous seasons about historic missions, it will be carefully explaining the ‘hows, whys and whats’ but with Artemis II, it will be as the story unfolds in real time. The BBC’s space podcast is once again in great hands, this time with the expertise of Dame Dr Maggie, Tim and Kristin, combined with that of the BBC News science team.”

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II will be available on BBC Sounds and wherever you get your BBC podcasts every day for 14 days, starting two days before the launch of Artemis II. For international audiences, it will also be available to listen to on bbc.com.

It will be broadcast on the BBC World Service during the Outside Source radio programme every weekday at 5.30pm GMT, and at the weekend during The Newsroom programme, Saturday at 6.30pm and Sunday at 7.30pm GMT.

Tim Peake and Dame Dr Maggie Aderin Pocock will also appear in Artemis: Horizon Special for BBC Two and iPlayer. Filmed over three years with unparalleled access inside NASA, the documentary follows the Artemis II crew.

ES

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