The next manned flight around the Moon has just reached a crucial milestone. NASA has officially received the Orion capsule that will carry the astronauts for the Artemis 2 mission. Its launch is scheduled for 2026.
More than fifty years after the Apollo missions, the United States is preparing to send humans around the Moon again. This project, called Artemis, aims to establish a lasting presence on our natural satellite before considering trips to Mars. The first mission, Artemis 1, tested the unmanned Orion capsule in 2022. Now, things are accelerating with Artemis 2, which will mark the return of astronauts beyond Earth orbit. This mission will serve as preparation for a future moon landing, planned for Artemis 3.
The Orion capsule, designed to transport a crew to the Moon and back, was officially handed over to NASA on May 1, 2025, by its manufacturer Lockheed Martin. It will soon be moved to the Neil Armstrong Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final phases of testing and integration. It will then join the giant SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, currently being assembled. The entire system will then be transported to the launch pad. Each step is crucial to ensure the reliability of the entire system before launch.
The Artemis 2 mission prepares for man's return to the Moon
Scheduled for early 2026, the Artemis 2 mission will carry four astronauts: three Americans — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch — and one Canadian, Jeremy Hansen. They will complete a so-called “free return” trajectory, a loop around the Moon without landing, before returning to Earth. The goal is to test all the manned systems in a real-life context. This will be the first manned flight beyond Earth orbit since 1972.
Lockheed Martin has upgraded Orion to accommodate the crew: life support systems, communications, exercise assistance, and an emergency abort system. A previous issue with the heat shield during Artemis 1 had caused a delay to the initial schedule. Validating this manned version is therefore an essential step. With this official handover, Artemis 2 enters its final stretch. This is a new milestone towards a sustainable return of humanity to the Moon, with the aim of establishing a long-term presence there.
0 Comments