Humanity returns to the Moon: NASA launches manned mission for the first time in over half a century

Artemis II ushers in a new era of spaceflight since the Apollo missions

On the night of April 2, NASA launched the historic Artemis II manned mission, the first manned mission to the Moon since 1972. The Space Launch System rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of a new era in the exploration of the Moon.

The crew included astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.

How the mission unfolded

Eight minutes after liftoff, the rocket placed the Orion spacecraft into low-Earth orbit. After separating the main stage and boosters, the spacecraft entered a high elliptical orbit, preparing for a flight to the Moon.

The first two days of the mission, the crew works in Earth orbit, testing key systems:

life support;
navigation;
communication;
engine operation.

After that, Orion will head to the Moon.

A flight around the Moon without landing

The mission does not involve landing on the surface. The ship will fly around the Moon along the so-called free return trajectory – a route that allows it to automatically return to Earth even without additional maneuvers.

This is a critically important stage of preparation for future missions with human landing.

The most difficult thing is the return

The final phase will be one of the main tests. The Orion capsule will enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of more than 40 thousand km/h.

The main focus will be on testing the ship’s thermal protection. After passing through the atmosphere, the capsule will splash down in the Pacific Ocean, where the crew will be met by rescue services.

A step towards returning humans to the Moon

Artemis II is a key mission before the next phase of the program, which involves landing astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years.