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One of the most important spaceflight missions of the previous half-century stands poised for launch this week from Florida’s Space Coast, serving as America’s return to the moon and a key preliminary step of NASA’s new technique to construct humanity’s first outpost past Earth.
The 4 astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission are scheduled to launch as early as 6:24 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, rising skyward earlier than sundown from pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center inside an Orion spacecraft.
They’ll embark on a 10-day, deep-space check expedition “shaking down” their spacecraft and swinging across the far facet of the moon and again — the primary crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
“It’s just good, I think, for the soul, for the national soul,” said Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society.
“Are we a nation that looks up and out and goes places, and does something new? Versus one that turns inward and stops, in a sense, pushing further out and being curious about what’s over the next hill? This is the most profoundly symbolic aspect,” Dreier said.
“This is a very, very big moment,” he said.
NASA’s April 1 launch window will open at 6:24 p.m. and extend for two hours. Standing 322 feet tall — nearly two stories taller than the Statue of Liberty — the Artemis II Space Launch System’s core stage, twin solid rocket boosters and Orion should accelerate to supersonic speed within just 56 seconds.
The Artemis II crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot) and Christina Koch (mission specialist), and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist) — will test a wide range of spacecraft systems: think propulsion, communications, spacesuits and life-support equipment like their potable water dispenser, which will provide drinking water and rehydrate their food.
Rather than orbiting the moon, the crew will swing around the dark side of the moon once. And they should break the Apollo 13 record for furthest distance any human has flown from Earth (248,655 miles).
The Orion will zoom past the moon a full 4,000 to 6,000 miles from the lunar surface. In fact, when the astronauts peer out their windows, NASA officials say they’ll be so far away that the moon looks about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.
As a geopolitical backdrop, Artemis II will launch while rival nation China continues working toward a crewed moon landing by 2030. NASA now aims to send a crew to the lunar surface during the Artemis IV mission in 2028.
Robert Taylor, Florida Institute of Technology professor emeritus of history, said he is personally thrilled by Artemis II. He recalled Lyndon B. Johnson’s famous quote: “In the eyes of the world, first in space means first, period. Second in space is second in everything.”
“Of course, it’s extremely important for America’s efforts in space,” Taylor said of Artemis II. “To return to the moon will certainly make a statement about America’s leadership in space. And, I think a big shot in the arm for space efforts, especially for NASA.”
NASA overhauls American lunar space policy
Why does Artemis II matter? On Tuesday, March 24, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman publicly rolled out an overhaul of America’s national space policy. The agency’s SLS launches through Artemis V are geared to help build a permanent U.S. moon base, with $20 billion slated for phased, early stage development over the next seven years.
NASA will accelerate an array of lunar missions, including targeting up to 30 robotic landings starting in 2027.
“We cannot be spread thin trying to undertake dozens of externally imposed and self-inflicted distractions, jumping straight to the dream state at the expense of an achievable strategy,” Isaacman said during a speech at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“For too long, we tried to satisfy every stakeholder. The results of that approach are very well-documented in (NASA Office of Inspector General) reports: billions wasted, years lost, nonconforming hardware delivered. Programs that never launched. Fewer flagship science missions. Virtually no X-planes. Less astronauts in space — which means less kids dressing up as astronauts for Halloween,” Isaacman said.
“I don’t like it. The president doesn’t like it. And the American people have waited long enough for the headlines only NASA is capable of making,” he mentioned.
Crewed moon missions ought to launch twice per yr from Artemis VI onward. Isaacman briefly addressed the make-up of these missions, which can possible incorporate SpaceX, Blue Origin and different personal corporations: “I might be shocked if we did not see a number of proposals with completely different variations of {hardware} for these alternatives for Artemis VI and past.”
Flying across the darkish facet of the moon
During NASA’s press occasion, Lori Glaze, moon to Mars program supervisor, labeled Artemis II “the very first vital step” in the success of America’s lunar plan.
Glaze said one can think about the 10-day mission in four parts:
- Launch and ascent into a 24-hour high-Earth orbit. The crew will check out environmental-control and life-support systems. After separation from the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, astronauts will manually test Orion flight controls.
- Journey to the moon. Orion’s main engine will perform a “trans-lunar injection burn,” followed by smaller engine firings and trajectory corrections during the four-day trip.
- Moon flyby. The crew should swing around the far side of the moon, then embark on the four-day trek back to Earth.
- Reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown. Slowed by parachutes, Orion should land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California.
“I hope you all have as much excitement as I do. I’m starting to get goosebumps,” Glaze said.
Among the mementos flying aboard Orion: a 1-by-1-inch fabric sample from the original Wright Flyer aircraft the Wright Brothers flew during their landmark 1903 first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Also, a 13-by-8-inch American flag that flew with the first shuttle mission, the final shuttle mission, and NASA’s milestone SpaceX Demo-2 crewed test flight in May 2020.
Should delays arise, Glaze said NASA may have four possible launch attempts during the six-day window between April 1-6. She said crews were not working any major SLS prelaunch issues.
“We’ll be watching the weather very closely over the next week. We’ll also be staying alert for anything that may go a little astray,” Glaze mentioned.
“We want to assure that our astronauts — our three American and (one) Canadian crew — are all safe for this mission,” she said.
Artemis II to attract massive crowds, recall Apollo 8
Locally, the Artemis II launch from KSC could draw 400,000 guests to Florida’s Space Coast — producing an estimated $160 million in Brevard County spending on accommodations, eating places and bars, retail gross sales, leisure and points of interest, and extra.
The Space Coast is “one of the few places in the country where traffic reports depend on orbital mechanics,” mentioned Natasha Wiest, The Boeing Co.’s program supervisor answerable for the SLS 212-foot core stage.
“You know you live in a special place where a rocket launch can shut down causeways, fill up every hotel, delay meetings. And nobody complains — because they’re the ones pulling up a lawn chair on the causeway,” Wiest said during a Feb. 10 National Space Club Florida Committee speech.
“And soon, we will all be doing that again for Artemis II. Only this time, there will be astronauts on board headed back to deep space. Living on the Space Coast changes our relationship with rockets. Around here, we do not just watch launches. We feel them,” she said.
Artemis II’s lunar flyby is reminiscent of Apollo 8, the first crewed spaceflight to depart Earth’s orbit and circle the moon. Taylor recalled how those three astronauts broadcast the first televised images of the moon’s surface on Christmas Eve 1968.
“I’m really hopeful that when that Artemis II is orbiting the moon, and they look back and show us videos of Earth, the Earth can just stop for a minute like it did in 1968 and wonder. And remember that we’re all passengers on this spaceship,” Taylor said.
“That would be worth the price tag of the mission, in my opinion.”
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly 321 Launch space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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