After 50 years, humans will cross the moon, a team of 4 people will create history, know about NASA’s Artemis-II mission

After about 50 years, man is once again preparing to cross the moon. NASA’s Artemis II mission is going to add a new chapter in space history, in which a team of four astronauts will travel around the moon. This mission is not only technically important, but is also considered a big step towards human return to the Moon in the future.

Through this mission, astronauts will not land on the surface of the moon, but will revolve around it and return back to Earth. During this journey of about 9.6 lakh kilometers, they will face the challenges of deep space and can create many new records. Artemis-II is seen as preparation for the upcoming Artemis-III mission, which aims to land humans on the Moon again.

What is Artemis-II mission?

Artemis II will be NASA’s first mission in which humans will go to the moon. Earlier in 2022, Artemis-I was successfully tested without humans. In this mission, the astronauts will not land on the moon, but will revolve around it and return back to Earth. This entire journey will be on “free-return trajectory”, that is, the gravitational force of the Moon will turn the spacecraft back towards the Earth. During this journey of about 9.6 lakh kilometers, astronauts will face the challenges of deep space such as radiation and communication blackout.

Why is this mission special?

Artemis-II can make many records. This mission will take humans to the greatest distance from Earth, which can even surpass the record of Apollo 13. In addition, the speed of the spacecraft during return may be the fastest ever (about 40,000 km/h). Most importantly, this mission will pave the way for the future Artemis-III, which plans to land humans on the Moon’s South Pole.

Who will go on this mission?

This historic mission involved four astronauts:

• Reid Wiseman (Commander)
• Victor Glover (pilot)
• Christina Koch (Mission Specialist)
• Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist)

This team is special in many ways. Victor Glover will become the first black person to walk beyond the Moon, Christina Koch will be the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen will be the first non-American to go beyond low-Earth orbit.

When and where will it be launched?

The launch of Artemis-II mission is scheduled for 2 April 2026. This flight will be taken from Kennedy Space Center of America. The weather is said to be favorable at present, but there may be a change in the launch due to clouds and other technical reasons. Even before this, this mission had to be postponed due to technical problems.

What is the plan next?

After Artemis-II, the next big step will be Artemis III, in which humans will again land on the lunar surface. Scientists believe that water ice is present on the South Pole of the Moon, which can be used as drinking water, oxygen and rocket fuel in future. This is the reason why the Moon is now being considered not just as a destination but as a launchpad for big space missions.

Artemis-II is not just a mission, but a new beginning of humanity’s future in space. This will not only take us closer to the Moon, but will also open the way for journeys to Mars and beyond.