The Artemis II rocket and spacecraft are already on the launchpad and undergoing pre-launch testing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
NASA is gearing up for an exciting next step in returning humans to the Moon this month. As early as Feb. 6, the agency intends to launch Artemis II—a 10-day mission catapulting four astronauts around the Moon to collect essential flight data and put the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft through their paces.
The crew members—including NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen—entered quarantine on Jan. 23 in Houston to ensure they stay healthy leading up the mission.
Artemis II will be the first close encounter with the Moon for a crew of astronauts in more than 50 years, and paves the way for a human lunar landing during Artemis III.