A team of four astronauts will blast off to the Moon and back <\/p>\n
Along ambitious plans to send a manned spacecraft to Mars<\/a>, 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<\/a> to ensure all its bases are covered.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The four-strong team of astronauts won\u2019t land on the Moon<\/a>, but they will be flying further into space than anyone has before.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re going at least 5,000 nautical miles (around 5753 miles) past the Moon, which is much higher than previous missions have gone,\u201d Artemis II flight director, Jeff Radigan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Previously NASA had said they planned to get the mission underway at the end of April.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201cThe launch window could open as early as the fifth of February, but we want to emphasize that safety is our top priority,\u201d NASA\u2019s acting deputy associate administrator Lakiesha Hawkins said at the conference.<\/p>\n NASA has previously said those interested will be able to track the mission as it goes<\/a>, a bit like an extreme version of FlightRadar. <\/p>\n The NASA mission\u2019s end goal is to send astronauts back to the lunar surface<\/p>\n Although this mission won\u2019t see the team land on the Moon, that is the end goal for the Artemis program.\u00a0<\/p>\n Artemis II will serve as a crucial test run before Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface<\/a> for the first time since 1972.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cArtemis 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,\u201d NASA said<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/moon3-1024x637.webp.webp\")
<\/a>NASA<\/p>\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/moon-2-2.webp.webp\")
<\/a>NASA<\/p>\n