Nasa’s Artemis II mission nears launch, marking first crewed lunar flight since Apollo 17

NASA is preparing for its first crewed lunar mission in more than five decades, with the Artemis II flight targeting a liftoff as early as February 6, the space agency said. The mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon before returning to Earth.

Artemis II is the first crewed flight under Nasa’s Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustained presence there. Unlike later missions, Artemis II will not attempt a lunar landing. Instead, it is designed as a critical systems test ahead of future surface missions.

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Crew and mission profile

The Artemis II crew includes Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission will mark the first time humans travel beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo era.

During the 10-day flight, the crew will orbit the Moon and test the performance of the Orion spacecraft, including navigation, life-support systems and communications, before splashing down back on Earth.

Rocket rollout and key checks

Final preparations are under way at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Nasa plans to roll out the fully stacked Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule to Launch Pad 39B no earlier than January 17.

The SLS rocket, which stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, will be moved at a slow pace from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad which is a journey of roughly four miles that can take up to 12 hours, according to Live Science.

In a statement issued on January 9, Lori Glaze, acting assistant administrator for Nasa’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said the agency was entering a critical phase of preparation. “We have important steps remaining on our path to launch, and crew safety will remain our top priority at every turn,” she said.

Wet dress rehearsal planned

Once the rocket reaches the pad, engineers will begin a series of inspections, including a wet dress rehearsal scheduled for later this month. During this test, Nasa will practise the full launch countdown and load more than 700,000 gallons of supercooled propellants into the rocket.

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The rehearsal will also involve practising fuel drain procedures and reviewing safety systems. Nasa officials have said the agency is prepared to delay milestones if technical or weather-related concerns arise.

Following the rehearsal, a flight readiness review will determine whether Artemis II is cleared for launch. While February 6 is the earliest target date, the current launch window extends from early February through April.