NASA has announced its new major goal – to return humans to the Moon. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
According to the agency’s information, the “Artemis II” mission will take place in February 2026. Initially, this flight was planned for April, but due to testing and technical preparations, the date was moved two months earlier.
The “Artemis” program is regarded as a historic project by the United States to send humans to the Moon and pave the way for future space exploration of other planets. This project involves billions of dollars in expenses and is seen as a response to China’s plan to send humans to the Moon by 2030.
“Artemis II” will be the first crewed flight within the program, with astronauts orbiting the Moon for 10 days. This mission does not include a lunar landing, but it will go down in history as the first crewed mission to travel much farther than Earth orbit since 1972.
The flight will begin at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using NASA’s 98-meter-long Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the modern “Orion” spacecraft. This will be the first crewed flight of the SLS and “Orion” systems.
The “Artemis II” mission is an important test phase for the large-scale “Artemis III” mission. According to NASA’s plan, astronauts will land on the Moon’s surface during the “Artemis III” mission in 2027.
This time, SpaceX’s specially developed Starship rocket will be used. Officials emphasize that if the “Artemis II” mission is successful, it will open the way for sending humans to Mars in the future.
Thus, humanity may begin a new era in space, and “Artemis II” is considered one of the most important steps on this path.
