Artemis II - Four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The 10-day flight will test NASA's foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts. Artemis II builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I in 2022, and will demonstrate a broad range of capabilities needed on deep space missions. The Artemis II flight test will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft and will pave the way to land the first woman on the Moon on Artemis III.
The Artemis II flight test will be NASA’s first mission with crew under Artemis and will pave the way to land the first woman and next man on the Moon on Artemis III. Astronauts on their first flight aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. Under Artemis, NASA will return humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and scientific discovery, gaining the knowledge needed future missions to worlds beyond, including Mars.
“The unique Artemis II mission profile will build upon the uncrewed Artemis I flight test by demonstrating a broad range of SLS and Orion capabilities needed on deep space missions,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager. “This mission will prove Orion’s critical life support systems are ready to sustain our astronauts on longer duration missions ahead and allow the crew to practice operations essential to the success of Artemis III.”
Leaving Earth
The mission will launch a crew of four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Block 1 configuration of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Orion will perform multiple maneuvers to raise its orbit around Earth and eventually place the crew on a lunar free return trajectory in which Earth’s gravity will naturally pull Orion back home after flying by the Moon.
The initial launch will be similar to Artemis I as SLS lofts Orion into space, and then jettisons the boosters, service module panels, and launch abort system, before the core stage engines shut down and the core stage separates from the upper stage and the spacecraft. With crew aboard this mission, Orion and the upper stage, called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), will then orbit Earth twice to ensure Orion’s systems are working as expected while still close to home. The spacecraft will first reach an initial orbit, flying in the shape of an ellipse, at an altitude of about 115 by 1,400 miles. The orbit will last a little over 90 minutes and will include the first firing of the ICPS to maintain Orion’s path. After the first orbit, the ICPS will raise Orion to a high-Earth orbit.
The Artemis II flight test will be NASA’s first mission with crew under Artemis and will pave the way to land the first woman and next man on the Moon on Artemis III. Astronauts on their first flight aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. Under Artemis, NASA will return humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and scientific discovery, gaining the knowledge needed future missions to worlds beyond, including Mars.
“The unique Artemis II mission profile will build upon the uncrewed Artemis I flight test by demonstrating a broad range of SLS and Orion capabilities needed on deep space missions,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager. “This mission will prove Orion’s critical life support systems are ready to sustain our astronauts on longer duration missions ahead and allow the crew to practice operations essential to the success of Artemis III.”
Leaving Earth
The mission will launch a crew of four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Block 1 configuration of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Orion will perform multiple maneuvers to raise its orbit around Earth and eventually place the crew on a lunar free return trajectory in which Earth’s gravity will naturally pull Orion back home after flying by the Moon.
The initial launch will be similar to Artemis I as SLS lofts Orion into space, and then jettisons the boosters, service module panels, and launch abort system, before the core stage engines shut down and the core stage separates from the upper stage and the spacecraft. With crew aboard this mission, Orion and the upper stage, called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), will then orbit Earth twice to ensure Orion’s systems are working as expected while still close to home. The spacecraft will first reach an initial orbit, flying in the shape of an ellipse, at an altitude of about 115 by 1,400 miles. The orbit will last a little over 90 minutes and will include the first firing of the ICPS to maintain Orion’s path. After the first orbit, the ICPS will raise Orion to a high-Earth orbit.
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TechTranscript
00:00NASA's Artemis II is the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years.
00:08Four astronauts will venture around the moon, preparing humanity for a long-term lunar presence
00:13for scientific discovery and exploration.
00:19The 10-day test flight will demonstrate a range of deep space exploration capabilities
00:24with crew.
00:25The mission will prove the Orion spacecraft is ready to keep astronauts alive in deep
00:30space and allow the crew and ground teams to practice operations essential to the success
00:36of future missions.
00:41On launch day, the Artemis II crew suits up, undergoes final checks, and rides in the crew
00:46transportation vehicles to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
00:52Stacked on the mobile launcher, NASA's 322-foot-tall SLS, or Space Launch System, rocket with the
00:58Orion spacecraft awaits the crew, having made its four-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly
01:03Building on the crawler-transporter to the pad.
01:07The launch team fills the SLS propellant tanks with over 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen
01:13and liquid hydrogen and verifies guidance, communications, and avionics.
01:18At 12 seconds before liftoff, the hydrogen burn-off igniters fire.
01:22Six seconds later, the rocket's four RS-25 engines ignite.
01:26When the countdown reaches zero, the umbilicals retract, giving SLS and the crew in Orion
01:31the clearance to begin the journey.
01:38The six-million-pound moon rocket produces 8.8 million pounds of thrust to accelerate
01:43towards space.
01:4475 percent of this power comes from the two 17-story solid rocket boosters, each producing
01:503.6 million pounds of thrust.
01:59About two minutes in, the boosters are released, their solid propellant consumed.
02:03The core stage and its RS-25 engines continue to propel Orion and the crew to space.
02:12After three minutes, the protective fairings surrounding Orion's service module are ejected,
02:17exposing its solar arrays.
02:19Six seconds later, the launch abort system is ejected from Orion.
02:23The crew has safely reached Earth orbit, though they could still abort using service module
02:27engines.
02:30About eight minutes after launch, the SLS core stage engines shut down and the Interim
02:35Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS, and Orion separate from the core stage.
02:40Orion and the ICPS are now flying free.
02:52Orion's four solar arrays deploy, powering the spacecraft and charging its batteries
02:56for when it moves out of direct sunlight during the journey to the moon and back.
03:04After a 90-minute orbit, the engine of the rocket's upper stage, or ICPS, ignites to
03:09raise Orion to a high-Earth orbit.
03:13The Artemis II crew and mission control in Houston then begin a nearly 24-hour systems
03:17check while the astronauts are still relatively close to Earth, familiarizing themselves with
03:22their new home for the next several days.
03:39Once in high-Earth orbit, Orion separates from the upper stage.
03:43The expended ICPS and Orion stage adapter serve as a target for a manual handling test
03:49called the Proximity Operations Demonstration, preparing future crews for rendezvous, docking,
03:54and undocking with other spacecraft.
03:58During the demonstration, Artemis II astronauts use cameras and line-of-sight through Orion's
04:03windows to pilot the spacecraft as they approach and back away, assessing Orion's handling
04:08qualities, hardware, and software.
04:16Following the demonstration, spacecraft data is collected to verify system performance,
04:20such as life support, communications, and navigation, ensuring Orion and the crew are
04:25ready for the voyage ahead.
04:34About 23 hours later, Orion's service module performs the Translunar Injection Burn, or
04:39TLI, pushing Orion out of Earth orbit and on an approximately four-day trip to the moon.
04:44Ultimately, the crew's figure-eight flight path extends more than 230,000 miles from
04:50Earth.
04:52During the trip, the astronauts continue to evaluate the spacecraft's systems and practice
04:56emergency procedures like testing the radiation shelter.
05:03The Artemis II crew travels about 4,600 miles beyond the moon, becoming the first humans
05:09to lay eyes on the lunar far side in over 50 years.
05:13Their observations will help us prepare for future missions at the moon.
05:17During this period, there will be an anticipated communication blackout between mission control
05:22and the spacecraft.
05:24As the crew returns from the far side of the moon, Orion is drawn home by Earth's gravity
05:28in a free-return trajectory, ensuring a fuel-efficient four-day trip.
05:43Before entering the atmosphere, Orion's crew module separates from the service module.
05:51Twelve thrusters ensure Orion is properly oriented at an altitude of about 75 miles
05:56from Earth's surface.
06:04Orion and the crew enter Earth's atmosphere at a speed of nearly 25,000 mph, decelerating
06:10at a rate up to four times the force of gravity, the crew will feel four times heavier than
06:14they do on Earth.
06:17Orion's heat shield protects the spacecraft from temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit,
06:21about half as hot as the surface of the sun.
06:26To slow its descent, Orion begins a precise deployment sequence of 11 parachutes.
06:31Three forward bay cover parachutes first separate the protective thermal cover that sits over
06:36the chutes.
06:38Two drogues slow and stabilize the crew module, then cut free.
06:43Three pilot chutes lift the three main parachutes, deployed at an altitude of 9,000 feet and
06:47traveling 130 mph.
06:50These chutes slow the crew module to a speed of less than 20 mph.
06:57After traveling more than 595,000 nautical miles, Orion splashes down in the Pacific
07:03Ocean, about 50 nautical miles from the California coast, just 16 minutes after entering Earth's
07:08atmosphere.
07:10After splashdown, a recovery team that includes the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and NASA approaches
07:14Orion.
07:15The team ensures it's safe for the crew to exit before divers help the astronauts onto
07:19an inflatable front porch, hoist them into helicopters, and fly to the recovery ship.
07:25Orion is towed into the ship for its return to Kennedy Space Center.
07:29Their mission complete, the crew is flown back to land and step on solid ground for
07:33the first time in 10 days.
07:36This is Artemis II.