Artemis 2: Humanity's Next Step to the Moon and Beyond
On April 1, 2026, at 18:35 p.m. ET, a 98-meter-long rocket launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Rocket SLS (Space Launch System). At its top is the Orion spacecraft carrying four astronauts. The launch of the Artemis II mission marked humanity's return to deep space after the Apollo program ended in 1972.
This isn't just a repeat of past achievements. Artemis II is the first crewed mission in NASA's long-term program to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon and prepare for expeditions to Mars. The mission is designed to test all systems under real-world conditions before the next crew, Artemis III, lands on the lunar surface.
The commander is Reed Wiseman, a former military pilot and ISS veteran. The pilot is Victor Glover, the first African-American to travel to such a deep space. The mission specialists are Christina Koch, the record-holder for the longest single stay in space by a woman, and Jeremy Hansen, the first non-American beyond low-Earth orbit (representing the Canadian Space Agency).
After the successful launch into orbit, Hansen uttered words that have already become part of stories:
"Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it is your hopes for the future that carry us on this journey around the Moon."
The launch proceeded as planned. On the first day, the crew conducted a 70-minute manual check of the control systems—a "ramp-up demonstration." On the second day, they performed a key maneuver—**TLI (Trans Lunar Injection)**, a 5-minute main engine burn that placed Orion on a free-return trajectory to the Moon.
"After TLI, we found ourselves in zero gravity, and it immediately became clear that we were no longer in near-Earth space. We were heading toward the Moon," Wiseman shared his impressions.
On the third day, the crew conducted communications testing via the Deep Space Network (DSN)—a global network of large antennas, each approximately 70 meters in diameter, located in the United States, Spain, and Australia. This system provides navigation and communications over distances where GPS no longer functions.
In addition to testing technical systems, scientific experiments are being conducted on board Orion. Among them is the AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) project, which studies the effects of radiation and microgravity on the human body using an "organ-on-a-chip"—a microchip containing living tissue that mimics the function of real organs.
Data obtained during the flight will help assess health risks during long-term missions and develop protective measures for future expeditions to Mars.
On April 6, the crew is expected to break the distance-from-Earth record set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970 (400,171 km). Orion will travel 405,000 km, exceeding the previous record by 5,400 kilometers.
However, the main danger awaits the astronauts at the end of the mission. Upon re-entry, the spacecraft's skin will heat up to 2,760°C. Orion's heat shield is known to have defects, discovered after the unmanned Artemis I flight in 2022. Therefore, the re-entry trajectory has been modified: instead of a "skip" maneuver, a smoother "lift" trajectory will be used to reduce thermal loads.
After orbiting the Moon and performing corrective maneuvers, Orion is scheduled to return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. The data collected will form the basis for preparing Artemis III, the first human landing on the lunar surface since Apollo 17.
The Artemis program is more than just a technical project. It's a symbol of humanity's return to the stars, a demonstration that even half a century after the first lunar missions, we are capable of setting and achieving goals beyond our reach. As Victor Glover said before launch:
"We're not just going to the Moon. We're going there to stay."
Astronauts on the Artemis 2 mission have released a new image of Earth taken en route to the Moon.
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