National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Schedules Artemis 2 Lunar Mission for April Launch

Key facts

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning to launch the Artemis 2 mission in April to send four astronauts around the moon.
• The mission will be launched from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
• The 322-foot Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will carry the Orion crew capsule for a 10-day journey.
• The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
• Artemis 2 will be the first mission to fly the SLS rocket and Orion capsule with humans aboard.
• The mission aims to travel up to 6,000 miles beyond the far side of the moon, the farthest humans have ever ventured in space.
• Potential two-hour launch windows have been identified for 1 April, 2 April, 3 April, 4 April, 5 April, 6 April, and 30 April.
• The Artemis programme aims to establish a permanent lunar base near the south pole of the moon to facilitate future human expeditions to Mars.
• NASA plans for a moon landing to occur as early as 2028 during the Artemis 4 mission, following the Artemis 3 mission in 2027.