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Artemis II

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A beautiful view of Earth setting behind the Moon, taken from the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission. You can see Earth's blue oceans and white clouds, with the night side of our planet dark, and a lunar crater in the foreground.

Artemis II

Artemis II is an exciting space mission that will take astronauts around the Moon. It will happen in the year 2026. This will be the first time people have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, when the Apollo 17 mission flew to the Moon. Artemis II helps scientists prepare for future trips to the Moon.

The mission will use a big rocket called the Space Launch System and a spacecraft named Orion. The spacecraft is called Integrity. Four brave astronauts will ride on Orion. They are Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, and commander Reid Wiseman. This mission is special because Victor Glover is the first person of color, Christina Koch is the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen is the first non-American to fly around the Moon.

The crew will travel farther from Earth than any humans before. They will fly close to the Moon, about 4,067 miles from its surface. After flying around the Moon, Orion will return to Earth and land in the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Navy will help bring the astronauts home.

Artemis II will also carry fun experiments. One experiment will mimic human organs to learn how space affects people. The crew will wear special monitors to check their health and sleep. They will test a new way to send information to Earth using laser beams. Small satellites called CubeSats will fly with the spacecraft to study space conditions and radiation. These experiments will help keep future astronauts safe.

People around the world can join the fun, too! NASA asked people to create a special “boarding pass” online. These names will fly with the crew on an SD card. There was also a contest to design a special mascot for the mission. The winning design, called Rise, was made by an 8-year-old boy named Lucas Ye from California. Rise is a soft toy that will travel with the crew.

Artemis II will bring excitement and joy to many people. The crew’s happy actions and the mission’s success created something called “moon joy.” Many people will watch and feel thrilled together as this new Moon mission begins.

Images

A stunning view of Earth from space, showing beautiful auroras and the glow of sunlight called zodiacal light.
NASA engineers moving the SLS rocket core stage into the Vehicle Assembly Building for Artemis 2 preparation.
Solar array wings being installed for the Artemis II spacecraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's Artemis II rocket and spacecraft being moved to Launch Pad 39B for a future moon mission.
NASA's Artemis II rocket and spacecraft ready for a test flight to the Moon, seen at Launch Complex 39B.
Astronauts from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency pose for a group photo during a media event at Kennedy Space Center, preparing for the Artemis II mission.
Astronauts from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency prepare to board their spacecraft for the Artemis II mission to the Moon.
NASA astronauts practice spacecraft preparations for their mission to the Moon.
A diagram showing the planned route of NASA's Artemis 2 mission, which will send astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back, testing spacecraft systems for future lunar landings.
A diagram showing the journey of NASA's Artemis II mission from launch to space.
A powerful NASA rocket launches carrying astronauts on a mission to fly around the Moon and return to Earth as part of the Artemis II test flight.
A NASA spacecraft component used to ensure safety during a moon mission launch.

Related articles

Low Earth orbit
Apollo 17
Space Launch System
Victor Glover
Canadian Space Agency
Reid Wiseman

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Artemis II, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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