MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — NASA is making strides toward its next lunar mission as the Artemis II rocket was moved from storage to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, taking around 12 hours.
The mission, featuring a crew of four astronauts, aims to fly around the moon on a 10-day journey. Although the astronauts will not land on the moon, the mission will test vital technology, docking maneuvers and life support systems.
“This is going to be our first step toward a sustained lunar presence on the moon. Those ten days for astronauts going farther from Earth than any other humans ever traveled,” John Honeycutt, chair of the Artemis II Mission Management Team, stated.
This mission marks the closest humans have approached the moon in over 50 years. Final preparations are expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Artemis II will set the stage for the Artemis III mission, planned for 2027, which aims to land near the moon’s South Pole.
