NASA has revealed a new forecast for the launch of the Artemis II mission, which will take humans to orbit the Moon. According to forecasts provided by space agency officials on Tuesday (07), a crew of four astronauts should travel around the Earth’s natural satellite in mid-November 2024.
A recent analysis by scientists proved the success of the Artemis I mission, which carried out several tests with rockets, capsules and systems necessary for a manned trip to the Moon. “Safe flight for the crew is our top priority for Artemis II,” said Jim Free, NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.
The Space Launch System, the rocket that carried the Orion capsule on the unmanned mission to the Moon, met the standards established for its safety validation. About 155 GB of data will be analyzed to conclude that the module performed satisfactorily.
Orion has completed hundreds of tests to evaluate all aspects of it, including experiments added in-flight. The data shows that the service module generated 20% more energy and consumed about 25% less than anticipated.
The astronauts who will compose Artemis II have not been revealed, but their names should be announced still in 2023. Although the second stage of the program aims to take the group only to the orbit of the Moon, the NASA is preparing for a third phase that will aim to land a crew not star
The Artemis III mission will take astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, where only twelve people — all of them white men — have set foot. NASA claims that the next generation will be marked by gender and ethnic diversity by taking the first woman and the first black person to the Moon.
After postponements that generated criticism from the “competition”, officials of the US space agency intend to carry out this mission around a year after the end of Artemis II, therefore, it is possible that the long-awaited return of humans to the moon will occur in 2025.