US EditionThis Huge Rocket Will Soon Blast NASA Astronauts Around Moon
Artemis II astronauts prepare to board Orion atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket for a crewed lunar flyby mission advancing lunar exploration goals.
- On Dec. 30, 2025, NASA released a mission picture showing the Space Launch System rocket with some retractable platforms pulled away inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, NASA Kennedy Space Center.
- On Dec. 20, the Artemis II crew conducted a countdown demonstration test inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, exiting an elevator at the mobile launcher 275-foot level to walk toward the crew access arm.
- NASA lists Reid Wiseman as commander and Victor Glover as pilot, with Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen as mission specialists.
- The drill showed crew movement toward the crew access arm and boarding the Orion spacecraft atop NASA's Moon rocket, demonstrating hands-on access checks.
- Late in December, images and the Dec. 20 countdown demonstration indicate late December preparations for the Artemis II crewed lunar mission are under way at the Vehicle Assembly Building and mobile launcher.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Miami (USA), Jan. 2 (EFE).- NASA announced this Friday that the launch window of the Artemis II manned mission will open on February 6 and will run until April, marking the return of American astronauts to the lunar environment for the first time in more than five decades. Artemis II will be a test flight of approximately 10 days and the first crew of the Artemis program, with launch scheduled no later than April, as reported by the space agency…
The goal of returning American astronauts to the Moon has been uncertain for decades, as plans have been accepted and rejected by one presidential administration after another. But as early as 2026, the goal is looking increasingly likely.
From astronauts preparing to fly past the moon for the first time in more than half a century, to rare solar eclipses and the growing role of private space companies, observers predict that the New Year will be historic beyond Earth. After decades of planning, delays and test flights, long-promised missions are becoming increasingly realistic, ushering in a new era of human and robotic exploration of the solar system.
February 6 is the scheduled date for the first lunar trip since 1972: four astronauts will take a tour around our satellite on a journey that will last a total of 10 days. However, the mission that will be announced -Artemisa 3 - continues to accumulate delays and will not be launched before 2028. Read
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