Artemis II blasts off as first NASA crew rockets to moon in 50 years

We have lift off!

NASA has successfully launched the Artemis* II mission, which aims to send four astronauts on an 800,000km journey around the moon on the furthest manned space flight in history.

The Orion spacecraft lifted off atop the Space Launch System rocket – the most powerful booster in the world — on Thursday morning Australian time.

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the Florida coast in the US to witness the historic launch of Artemis II.

Spectators held their breath as engineers worked to fix an issue with a flight termination system and a launch abort system battery before takeoff commenced.

The launch was eventually given the go-ahead and Artemis II blasted off successfully.

The four astronauts on-board have since passed the Karman line – the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space – and are now in orbit* around the Earth.

The Orion will spend two days orbiting Earth testing its systems before heading for the moon.

Orion will then perform a trans-lunar injection burn*, a propulsion* move to push the spacecraft on its four-day trip to the far side of the moon – a one-way trek of about 400,000km.

The spacecraft will travel about 7,400km around the far side of the moon, with the journey marking the first time much of the surface has been viewed by human eyes. According to NASA, the moon will appear about the same size as a baseball held at arm’s length.

Throughout the trip, the astronauts will test the spacecraft’s systems, conduct experiments and test emergency procedures including the radiation* shelter.

Once the spacecraft has rounded the moon, it will get a free ride home thanks to the natural pull of Earth’s gravity.

The Orion will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the Californian coast near San Diego where the craft and crew will be recovered by the United States Navy.

The 10-day space voyage will become the first crewed mission to travel beyond low-Earth orbit since the end of the Apollo era in 1972 – a historic milestone* in the journey to establish a long-term human presence on the moon.

“Fifty-three years ago, humanity left the moon and did not return – now, we go back,” NASA’s deputy administrator Amit Kshatriya said.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen woke at 9.25am local time before spending time with their families, attending a final briefing, playing a game of cards – a tradition for astronauts pre-launch – and donning* their orange space suits.

US President Donald Trump wished the mission well in a post on social media, writing “God bless our incredible astronauts”.

“For the first time in over 50 years, America is going back to the moon! Artemis II, among the most powerful rockets ever built, is launching our brave astronauts farther into deep space than any human has EVER gone,” the US President wrote.

THE SPACE RACE HEATS UP
The US has announced plans to build a $20 billion moon base and place a nuclear power reactor* on the lunar surface by 2030.

Last week, NASA announced it would scrap plans to build a space station in lunar orbit in favour of building a sustained human presence on the moon.

“NASA is committed to achieving the near‑impossible once again, to return to the moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said.

The Artemis program’s first flight in December 2022 was a test flight for the launch system and Orion spacecraft ahead of the crewed Artemis II flight scheduled for this week.

NASA had originally planned for Artemis III to launch next year and land on the moon but under a revised plan, that flight will now test docking capabilities between the Orion and commercial spacecraft.

Artemis IV, planned for early 2028, will then aim to land two crew members on the moon’s surface where they will spend one week conducting scientific experiments.

NASA will then target moon landings every six months.

“This revised, step-by-step approach to learn, to build muscle memory*, to bring down risk and gain confidence is exactly how NASA achieved the near impossible in the 1960s,” Mr Isaacman said, in reference to the Apollo program that first landed man on the moon.

“But this time, the goal is not flags and footprints. This time, the goal is to stay.

“America will never again give up the moon.”

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE HISTORIC LAUNCH

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GLOSSARY

• Artemis: in Ancient Greek mythology the goddess of the hunt and the moon, twin sister to Apollo and known as Diana in Ancient Rome
• orbit: the curved path in space that is followed by an object going round and round a planet, moon, or star
• trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn: the TLI burn is a special, five-minute-plus rocket engine firing that acts as the “big push” to send a spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and on a direct path toward the moon
• propulsion: a force that pushes something forward
• radiation: a form of energy that comes from a nuclear reaction and that can be very dangerous to health
• milestone: an important event in the development or history of something or in someone’s life
• donning: the act of putting on clothing, garments or equipment
• nuclear power reactor: a large machine that uses nuclear fuel to produce power
• muscle memory: ability to repeat a specific muscular movement with improved efficiency and accuracy that is acquired through practice and repetition

EXTRA READING

Astronauts journey to next frontier

NASA tests moon suits for 2024 Artemis mission

Earth’s problem with space junk

QUICK QUIZ

1. What is the expected duration of this historic moon mission?
2. The US has announced a $20 billion investment in space – what will be included in the project?
3. In what year did the last humans travel beyond low-Earth orbit as part of what mission series?
4. How many kilometres will the astronauts travel?
5. What is the Karman line?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What can we learn?
What do you think astronauts of the future will explore or study on the moon long after this Artemis II mission? Write a list. Next to each item, explain why you think that this is important.

Time: allow at least 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
“Who cares about outer space? These missions are a waste of money!” Write down what you would say to change this person’s opinion about space exploration. Include as many details as you can.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links English, Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
Acrostic poem
Think of a word that you associate with space travel (astronauts, frontier, mission, spacecraft, capsule) and create an acrostic poem to share about the Artemis II mission. Try and include varied words throughout your poem to maintain the interest of the reader.