Meet the 4 Artemis II astronauts who’re preparing for a flight to the far aspect of the moon

This month, NASA is aiming to launch 4 astronauts atop a 32-story rocket on a 10-day mission across the far aspect of the moon. The flight of Artemis II shall be NASA’s first human mission to the moon since Apollo 17, 53 years in the past. NASA sees it as a vital stepping stone towards its final objective: touchdown astronauts on the lunar floor once more, establishing a sustained presence there and utilizing the moon as a gateway to future Mars missions. After a lot of delays, President Trump set a objective of returning Americans to the moon by 2028, whereas China plans a lunar touchdown by 2030, making Artemis II a key leg in a twenty first century house race.

For a moon rocket this huge, that is what one small step appears to be like like. About two weeks in the past, we went to Kennedy Space Center in Florida to see the three-and-a-half million pound SLS rocket, topped by the Orion crew capsule, roll out atop an Apollo-era crawler, inching 4 miles from the meeting constructing to the launch pad – high pace, lower than one mile an hour. Hundreds of staff, who labored on this – NASA’s strongest rocket – introduced their households to see their towering achievement. Also there, the 4 astronauts who will make a solitary arc across the moon. We met them at launch pad 39b.

Bill Whitaker: What do you’re feeling whenever you see that?

Reid Wiseman: A lotta satisfaction. A lotta satisfaction for the nation, and a lotta satisfaction for the worldwide partnerships which have put this factor collectively.

Reid Wiseman is the mission commander. His crew consists of pilot Victor Glover and two mission specialists: Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch. 

Christina Koch: This is type of a monument to the truth that we as people determined to pour assets into sending individuals off the planet. And that is simply an incredible factor to me, an incredible factor to be part of. 

Koch, Wiseman and Glover have all skilled the wonders of house on board the International Space Station. Hansen, an skilled fighter pilot from our long-time house companion Canada, has by no means earlier than gone into orbit. 

Jeremy Hansen: I’m wondering, “What is that really gonna look like? And what is that gonna feel like?” I’ve this sense that– it may possibly’t not contact your soul to see the Earth from the attitude of the w– moon. 

Bill Whitaker: So if all goes in accordance with plan, you’re going to be the primary astronauts to journey to the moon in additional than half a century. What’s going by your minds?

Victor Glover: Don’t screw it up. I’m– I’m joking, however partly not joking. You know. But I believe the actual factor in the present day is what it took to get that rocket out to the pad. And so I hope our staff is– is celebrating this, as a result of it is a massive a part of, , the following factor to come back.

Bill Whitaker: The United States has been to the moon a number of occasions. Why is it vital for us to return?

Christina Koch: So many nations proper now are realizing the worth in what we will convey again by going to the moon. The trade positive factors, the data positive factors, the scientific positive factors, the inspiration positive factors. There’s a lot to realize that I’m blissful that we’re main the way in which again.

Artemis II is supposed to put the groundwork for future Artemis missions that can put Americans again on the moon and set up a lunar house station. The 4 Artemis II astronauts will sling across the far aspect of the moon within the Orion capsule nearly 5,000 miles above its floor earlier than heading again house. This mission is to check whether or not the rocket, life-support programs and crew controls work as designed.

For the crew, this has been virtually three years within the making. They skilled in simulators and discovered to stay and work contained in the cramped Orion capsule.

Artemis I, which flew in 2022 and not using a crew, was a full-system take a look at flight to show the rocket and capsule are mission prepared for people to journey across the moon and again. 

It splashed down safely within the Pacific. But on inspection, engineers discovered the warmth defend was broken on re-entry, although the inside of the capsule was not.

Bill Whitaker: Is there a stage of concern concerning the warmth defend on this one?

Reid Wiseman: You’re hitting Earth’s environment at roughly 39 to 40 occasions the pace of sound. There is concern. 

Reid Wiseman: We’re gonna modify our entry trajectory. We’re truly gonna are available slightly bit hotter, slightly bit sooner than Artemis I. And based mostly on the problems that we had with the warmth defend, that can maintain us protected.

Bill Whitaker: I do know you anticipate that every thing goes to go in accordance with plan. But what are your issues?

Jeff Radigan: I’m sorry, Bill, was that a– was {that a} joke that every thing goes to– to plan?

According to guide flight director, Jeff Radigan, a flawless mission is NASA’s endless quest.

Jeff Radigan: I anticipate issues will go very properly, and I additionally anticipate there’s gonna be one thing surprising. I believe each house mission we have flown one thing has come up, and we have needed to cope with it.

Radigan instructed us he has nice confidence within the Artemis II mission and crew. NASA’s problem is what comes subsequent: getting Artemis III astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s floor. To try this, NASA, in 2021, awarded a virtually $3 billion contract to Elon Musk’s SpaceX for the lunar lander model of its Starship, the most important, strongest launch car ever constructed. Made of two elements, the lunar lander will sit atop the reusable tremendous heavy booster. 

After a number of spectacular failures and explosions, the starship rebounded with profitable launches this previous August and October. But the setbacks and technical complexity have contributed to the delay in America’s return to the moon’s floor. NASA’s goal for placing American astronauts again on the moon is now 2028. 

Bill Whitaker: Are we going to make that?

Jeff Radigan: I believe there’s a– lot of issues that have to occur to make that profitable. You know, first step, fly Artemis II, and I’ll inform you, I spend most of my time on this mission. But we’re gonna want our SpaceX companions to– to get a lander on the market for us, get again all the way down to the floor of the moon.

Artemis could also be Apollo’s mythological twin, however upcoming missions with SpaceX bear little resemblance. For instance, the large SpaceX lander that can rendezvous with the crew in lunar orbit must be refueled in house, a fancy course of requiring the launch of ten or extra gasoline tankers. Nothing like this has ever been achieved earlier than. Elon Musk says it is wanted to propel deep house exploration. 

Elon Musk (at SpaceX in January 2026): And we wish to have epic futuristic spaceships with numerous individuals in ’em, touring to locations we have by no means been to earlier than. 

But first he has to get Starship to the moon. With the complexity and delays, NASA has doubts SpaceX can meet the president’s timeframe and is searching for a plan b.

Jim Bridenstine (earlier than Congress in September 2025): The objective of this listening to is, , are we going to have the ability to get to the moon first?

Jim Bridenstine was NASA administrator in President Trump’s first time period and launched the Artemis program. This previous September, he instructed Congress America’s moon touchdown system has since grown too difficult.

Jim Bridenstine (earlier than Congress in September 2025): It is very complicated. In some instances– , it, it, it, it, it- hinges on us- me saying right here in the present day that it’s extremely unlikely that we’ll land on the moon earlier than China.

Bill Whitaker: What wouldn’t it imply if China have been to place people again on the moon first?

Dr. Scott Pace: Of course it might be massively embarrassing.

Scott Pace was govt secretary of the National Space Council in the course of the first Trump administration and helped NASA develop the Artemis program. He says establishing a presence on the moon is vital. Who will get there first this century just isn’t.

Dr. Scott Pace: I do not downplay the embarrassment and unhealthy headlines and every thing else that might come from the Chinese, , returning to the moon earlier than we’re ready to take action. That mentioned, from a long run strategic method, that may be a comparatively quick information story, whereas who units the principles for the house area, who’s there completely, that is a narrative for the following century.

Pace instructed us the competitors with China ought to pressure NASA to rethink what he calls an unwieldy and costly method. The company spends greater than $2 billion on every single-use SLS rocket, whereas non-public firms, he says, are pursuing a extra sustainable path with reusable elements, like SpaceX has demonstrated for a decade. He encourages industrial competitors, which is intensifying amongst cosmic one percenters. After NASA referred to as for a backup lander plan, Musk’s SpaceX posted that it’s “assessing a simplified mission architecture.” On Friday, Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin introduced no less than a two yr pause of its house tourism flights to concentrate on moon missions. 

In November, Blue Origin despatched its highly effective New Glenn rocket into orbit and returned the booster to a platform within the Atlantic – a primary for Blue Origin. 

John Couluris: To convey again that first stage was sport altering. Because now, like an airplane, you are now in a position to reuse that car.

John Couluris is senior vp of lunar permanence at Blue Origin. NASA tapped the corporate to develop a human lunar lander for future missions. With the artemis program not on time, NASA is urgent contractors to choose up the tempo.

John Couluris: So it is public data that NASA requested all of the Artemis distributors on, “How can we accelerate our efforts?” 

Couluris confirmed us the primary and smaller iteration of Blue Origin’s lander – the Mark 1. This unmanned cargo lander would be the firm’s first car to land on the moon. 

John Couluris: So this car would be the largest and heaviest lander to ever land on the moon. 

The virtually 30-foot-tall lander is wrapped in gold-colored insulation to guard it from photo voltaic warmth and radiation. Until now, the lander has been saved beneath wraps. Our cameras have been the primary allowed to see it. Coulouris instructed us, later this yr, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket will carry the Mark 1 into house to descend to the south pole of the moon. 

John Couluris: The cause for that’s there’s ice there. So we will take that ice and create water to maintain people, to interrupt that water down into propellants to then gasoline future autos that then can go from the moon to wherever else within the photo voltaic system.

Bill Whitaker: What do you concentrate on this second?

John Couluris: It’s unbelievable. Artemis II represents that first effort in many years of deep house exploration of people. I- I am unable to await them to go.

The Artemis II astronauts might fly deeper into house than any people ever, about 250,000 miles from Earth. And as soon as the spacecraft goes behind the moon, the astronauts shall be out of all contact with earth for about 40 minutes. Flight director Jeff Radigan instructed us he’ll be counting the seconds. 

Bill Whitaker: If one thing ought to go awry, you’ve got received the lives of 4 astronauts in your palms.

Jeff Radigan: I do. It’s a heavy weight, and I take into consideration that every single day. You know, my job is to convey Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy house safely. These are my colleagues, these are my pals and– they’re my accountability.

Bill Whitaker: There shall be a interval of about 40 minutes when you may be out of contact with the Earth? 

Victor Glover: That’s once we shall be closest to the moon, farthest from the earth. But it is also a human second, ? And I’d love for us to have– a second of togetherness, for people to only go, “Hey, there’s a part of humanity that’s not in touch with the rest of us, and let’s just get ’em all back, and then we can go back to the hustle and bustle.” But I hope that that evokes of us to only have a second of togetherness.

Produced by Marc Lieberman. Field producer, Miles Doran. Associate producer, Cassidy McDonald. Broadcast affiliate, Mariah Johnson. Edited by Mark Levine. Assistant editor, Aisha Crespo.