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Friday, February 14, 2020

UPDATED
US astronaut returns to Earth after longest mission by woman

IF SHE WERE A MAN TRUMP WOULD HAVE CONGRATULATED HER

A WEEK LATER HE STILL HAS NOT MENTIONED HER

Record-setting astronaut feels good after near year in space

by Marcia Dunn

NASA's new record-setting astronaut said Wednesday that aside from sore muscles and trouble with balance, she's readjusting well to gravity after nearly 11 months in space.

Christina Koch met with reporters in Houston six days after returning to Earth from the International Space Station. Her 328-day mission—which ended last Thursday—was the longest ever by a woman.

Her neck hurt for about a day. "I felt like a 2-week-old who was actually working hard to hold up my own head," she said.

She considers herself lucky she didn't have the sore feet and burning skin suffered four years ago by NASA's all-time endurance champ, Scott Kelly, whose mission lasted 340 days.

Koch returned home to Galveston, Texas, to find a kitchen full of chips and salsa, something she'd craved in orbit, along with the Gulf of Mexico. She hit the beach with her husband, Bob, and their dog, a rescue pup named LBD for Little Brown Dog, just three days after her landing in Kazakhstan.

LBD was excited to see her, and vice versa.

"I'm not sure who was more excited to see the other," Koch said.

Their reunion was recorded. "It's just a symbol of coming back to the people and places that you love, to see your favorite animal," she said.

The 41-year-old Koch is an electrical engineer who also has a physics degree. She flew to the space station last March and was part of the first all-female spacewalk in October. Three astronauts remain at the orbiting lab, including the other half of the all-female spacewalk, NASA's Jessica Meir

US astronaut sets record for longest spaceflight by a woman

NASA astronaut comes home to chips and salsa after record 11 months in space

Marcia Dunn The Associated Press Wednesday, February 12, 2020

U.S. astronaut Christina Koch reacts shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-13 space capsule about 150 km south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. (Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool Photo via AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. -- NASA's new record-setting astronaut said Wednesday that aside from sore muscles and trouble with balance, she's readjusting well to gravity after nearly 11 months in space.

Christina Koch met with reporters in Houston six days after returning to Earth from the International Space Station. Her 328-day mission -- which ended last Thursday -- was the longest ever by a woman.

Her neck hurt for about a day. "I felt like a 2-week-old who was actually working hard to hold up my own head," she said.

Friday, March 06, 2020

HERSTORY
Astronaut Christina Koch Opens Up About Spending 328 Days in Space — and Adjusting to Earth Life

Caitlin Keating People March 5, 2020

Astronaut Christina Koch

Imagine witnessing 16 sunrises and sunsets every day for 11 months. Or floating in a sleeping bag while completing 5,248 orbits around Earth and traveling 139 million miles.

The only woman who doesn’t have to imagine is NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who came back to Earth on Feb. 6 after spending 328 days aboard the International Space Station, surpassing the previous record held by Peggy Whitson for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.

“I feel incredibly privileged to have been a part of this,” 41-year-old Koch tells PEOPLE for this week’s Women Changing the World issue days after returning home. “Thinking back to a year in your life and being able to contribute as much as I have had the opportunity to has just been awesome.”

The contributions were and continue to be endless. There was the “fun” study of plant biology and how we can grow them in space, which included tasting fresh mizuna mustard. And then, while “feeling like I was standing on my head all the time,” she participated in the Kidney Cells investigation and another that will try to prevent a lack of gravity from causing bone and muscle loss to astronauts in space.

The Michigan native managed to contribute to hundreds of studies, all while undergoing spatial orientation and “learning how to orient when half of your work might be on the ceiling or the ground, and all of the four walls around you sort of look the same.”

For more on Christina Koch and all of PEOPLE’s Women Changing the World, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

She points out that on Earth, “you can kind of spatially orient very easily by down is where your feet are and up is in the direction of your head.”

Looking back on her experience with the conditions in space, Koch says, “It’s really amazing to watch the human body adapt to that.”

RELATED: Astronaut Christina Koch Shares Sweet Video of Her Reuniting with Dog After Almost a Year in Space

Leaving space was “bittersweet” for Koch, especially knowing that “there’s views and things that I’ll never see again,” but being home is still wonderful and spectacular.

“I’m overwhelmed with joy to be home and to be experiencing the sights, the smells, the feeling of wind, the feeling of weather, all these things that we grow up with, and we don’t even realize how much they comfort us,” she says. “The blue sky, even, I didn’t see the entire time I was on board. There are things that I’ll miss. There are things that I may never see again, but to be back at home in the environment that I grew up in is really amazing.”

RELATED: NASA Is Hiring New Astronauts — Here’s How You Can Apply for a Trip to the Moon

NASA Christina Koch

While she indulges in everything she missed, like eating plenty of chips and salsa that she didn’t have in space, she is wasting no time.

Koch says she is now motivated more than ever “to pay it forward by my passion for space flight advancement and by my hope that anyone who has a dream has an equal playing field to work hard to achieve that dream.”

“Space flight will benefit when not a single innovative idea is lost because someone didn’t see a place for themselves, and when anyone who is ready to contribute is equally welcomed,” she adds. “Sharing experiences and strategies with future explorers will hopefully mean that those strategies can be turned into more personal success and also more identifying and breaking down barriers. I see a world soon when demographics are more and more transparent as we feed forward the momentum that is generated as more people pursue their passions no matter where it takes them.”

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/03/herstory-how-christina-koch-could.html

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Tuesday, April 04, 2023

NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch to become first woman to orbit the moon

More Photo 's Here

NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch to become first woman to orbit the moon - UPI.com

Christina Hammock Koch, who will serve as mission specialist on NASA's Artemis II mission next year, will become the first woman to orbit the moon. Photo courtesy of NASA/Twitter

April 3 (UPI) -- NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch -- a flight engineer on the International Space Station and record-holder for the longest single spaceflight by a female -- will become the first woman to orbit the moon next year when the space agency launches its Artemis II mission.

Koch's name was revealed Monday as a member of the four-person crew of astronauts from the United States and Canada who will journey around the moon. Koch, who was assigned mission specialist, will be joined by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts G. Reid Wiseman and Victor J. Glover Jr., who will become the first person of color to orbit the moon, NASA and the Johnson Space Center announced Monday in Houston, Texas.

"When I first found out I was assigned to Artemis II, my thoughts were disbelief, an immense sense of honor and responsibility, and readiness; ready to try to make everyone proud and to really fulfill what this mission truly means to all humanity," Koch said in a NASA video Monday.

Koch, who became an astronaut in 2013, grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., and attended the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, before going to North Carolina State University. Koch earned bachelor of science degrees in electrical engineering and physics, as well as a master of science degree in electrical engineering. In 2019, she spoke to NC State graduates from the International Space Station.
RELATED U.S. Navy pilot to become first person of color to go to the moon

"Don't think there's just one way to accomplish your dreams or a set of boxes you have to check through life," Koch told graduates. "Live your life according to your interests and passions."

Koch participated in the NASA Academy program at Goddard Space Flight Center in 2001, after working as an electrical engineer at GSFC, and was selected in 2013 as one of the eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class. She completed astronaut candidate training in 2015.

"To me, there's never really been a time when I didn't want to be an astronaut. Going back as far as I can remember, it's what I always dreamed of," Koch said Monday.

RELATED NASA unveils Artemis II crew including first woman, person of color to orbit moon

Koch served as ISS flight engineer during Expedition 59, 60 and 61. In 2018, she was assigned to her first space flight, which was a long duration mission on the International Space Station. Koch launched on March 14, 2019, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Soyuz spacecraft and returned to Earth on Feb. 6, 2020, setting a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and the second longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut after retired astronaut Scott Kelly. Koch spent a total of 328 days in space, prompting her to post a video of her rescue dog's enthusiastic greeting when she finally returned home

During her missions to the ISS, Koch also took part in a total of six space walks, including the first all-female spacewalk, which NASA initially canceled because it did not have enough woman-sized space suits. Koch ended up wearing one of the medium-sized spacesuits and doing the walk with male astronaut Nick

RELATED'Monstrous' gamma-ray burst brightest seen since 'human civilization began'

Last week, Koch tweeted about how common it is to now see multiple women at the International Space Station.

"Why's this matter? To me, it's making more successful missions and a world where people with a dream work equally hard to reach that dream. Here's to my own astro sisters!" Koch wrote Friday with the hashtag "womenshistorymonth."

While at the ISS, Koch and her crew members contributed to hundreds of experiments to learn more about Earth and physical science, biology, human research and technology.

In 2019, Koch posted a photo of Ghana's national flag in space as she reminisced about her time spent in the country two decades ago.

"20 years ago, I was studying abroad at the University of Ghana. Like spaceflight, it was a positive, life-changing, perspective-deepening experience," Koch wrote.

A year later, Koch helped Nickelodeon debut its first footage of the children's cable network's iconic green slime in space. Koch and another crew member were able to spin the slime in mid-air and adhere it to a paddle board. While there was no gravity, they were not able to pour it over each others' heads.

"Playing with slime in space is way more fun that I thought it would be -- and way more unpredictable," said Koch. "Just like all of the other science we do, you cannot replicate these experiments on the Earth, you need zero gravity to see some of this behavior."

Koch faced angry flat Earth theorists when she shared her last photo of Earth in a 2020 tweet as she returned from the International Space Station, to which some replied "fake pic" and "nice fake curvature."

And Koch continued to share her photos from her missions, including a starry night Van Gogh-like photo from a composite image she captured at the International Space Station.

"City lights, stars, lightning storms, even satellite flares -- a composite of individual photos stacked on top of each other to show all the amazing things we see at night out our window."

While Koch will orbit the moon as a member of the Artemis II crew in 2024, another unnamed crew is expected to land on the moon in 2025.

On Monday, Koch said she is looking forward to working with the other Artemis II crew members.

"They all have a military background and I come from a more raw technical engineering background and I think that that complements one another really well," Koch said. "I think we'll work together great and I hope to be someone on the crew that really is that engineering expert and I hope that that can be the way I contribute the most."

Looking further into the future, Koch said she'd love to be chosen for a mission to Mars, even though she'd miss her husband and her family.

"For Mars, I'd ask my family and friends to make small surprises for me to open on designated dates," she said in an interview in 2016. "A handwritten card when you've been away 15 months can be the best thing imaginable."

NASA names Christina Hammock Koch 1st woman to launch to moon

Expedition 59 crew members, including NASA's Christina Hammock Koch (C), Nick Hague of NASA (top) and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos wave farewell before boarding the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 14, 2019. The crew spent 6 1/2 months living and working aboard the International Space Station.

N\ASA Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI | License Photo

U.S. Navy pilot to become first person of color to go to the moon

By Simon Druker

1/4

NASA astronaut Victor Glover will become the first person of color to orbit the moon when the space agency’s Artemis II mission launches as early as next year, the space agency announced Monday. Photo courtesy of NASA

April 3 (UPI) -- NASA astronaut Victor Glover will become the first person of color to orbit the moon, when the space agency's Artemis II mission launches as early as next year.

Glover, a captain and test pilot in the U.S. Navy was named Monday as part of the four-member crew, which will perform a lunar flyby test before returning to Earth.

Born in Pomona, Calif., Glover has been an astronaut since 2013. The aviator served as second-in-command for Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon. The second-ever crewed flight for the spacecraft landed successfully in May 2021.

Glover will serve as one of two pilots on the Artemis II Mission, tentatively scheduled for launch in November, 2024.

It wasn't the father of four's first time leaving the atmosphere.

Glover also served as Flight Engineer during Expedition 64 aboard the International Space Station. At the time, he became the first Black astronaut to serve on the space station.

RELATED Boeing pushes Starliner test flight to July

During that mission, Glover shared pictures of the sunrise and sunset on his Twitter account, garnering international attention.

"I love sunrises and sunsets. Can you see the bands of color," Glover, who turns 47 later this month, Tweeted at the time

"They remind me of the scripture in Psalm 30, 'weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.' It seems darkest just before sunrise. I wish you all love and light. Goodnight from the ISS."

After graduating in 1994 from Ontario High School in Ontario, Calif., Glover went on to get his bachelor of science degree in general engineering from California Polytechnic State University. He earned his wings of gold after completing advanced flight training in 2001.

He served as National Society of Black Engineers while he attended the university.

He now holds a master of science in flight test engineering, as well as a master of science in systems engineering from the Naval Post
He has regularly taken time to speak to schoolchildren about the wonders of space.

""Inspiration is, 'Wow, I didn't realize that I could do that. I want to go to school and study that thing,'" he said during a 2021 interview.

"It turns into decisions."

As a pilot, Glover accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, including over 400 landings on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, often considered one of the most difficult tasks a fighter pilot performs. Of those carrier arrested landings, 24 came during combat missions.

He has been deployed across the world both in war and peacetime.

The importance of becoming the first person of color to eventually circle the moon was not lost on Glover on Monday.

"This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate and it's so much more than the four names that have been announced," the veteran aviator said after his name and those of his crewmates were called by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

"This is humanity's crew," Nelson told the audience at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

In 2021, MSBNC named Glover to its list of 23 Black leaders who are shaping history today.

Later Monday, Glover shared a photo of the mission patches of the four crew members.

Should Glover and his fellow astronauts successfully execute the approximate 10-day lunar orbit mission, it would pave the way for NASA's planned mission to the surface of the moon.

That subsequent Artemis III Mission is slated to take place no earlier than 2025.

NASA is designing the Artemis missions in conjunction with the Gateway Program. Once built and launched, the orbiting space station will allow for ongoing exploration and research in deep space, including docking ports for multiple visiting spacecraft.

The platform will be used by astronauts to live, work, and prepare for lunar surface missions.

First astronaut of color to head to the moon: Victor J. Glover Jr.

NASA astronaut Victor J. Glover Jr. is seen during a NASA event at which it was announced that he, and NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins were assigned to the first mission to the International Space Station onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on August 3, 2018. NASA Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI | License Photo

Saturday, August 16, 2025

SPACE/COSMOS

What would Mars look like in daylight?

'Enhanced' photo from Perseverance offers a look

Eric Lagatta,

USA TODAY NETWORK
Fri, August 15, 2025

With its reddish-hued surface and surroundings, Mars has more than earned its colorful nickname. But how would the Red Planet appear under clear-blue Earth skies?

Thanks to a NASA rover wandering the Martian iron oxide-infused surface, we now have a rough idea.

Perseverance, one of two car-sized robotic rovers managed from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, has spent years exploring the Mars surface for signs that the planet was once habitable. Scientists believe the geology of Mars may hold valuable clues about past ancient life, and so the robotic vehicles, controlled remotely from Earth, have slowly navigated the rocky terrain to scoop up and collect intriguing samples.

Along the way, Perseverance has made some extraordinary finds and captured some stunning vistas. The latest came earlier in May, when the rover captured what NASA described as "one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far."

NASA released the mosaic in August, which, with color-enhancing technology, unveils the Martian landscape under a sky that is "deceptively" blue.

Perseverance: Object resembling a helmet spotted on Mars surface by rover

What is Perseverance? What to know about NASA rover

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is seen in a "selfie" that it took over a rock nicknamed "Rochette", September 10, 2021

In July 2020, the Perseverance rover underwent a 200-day, 300-million-mile journey to reach Mars. After landing in February 2021 in the Jezero Crater, the robot, controlled remotely from Earth, spent nearly four years searching for and collecting more than two dozen rock samples – many of which are stored at the first-ever depot on another planet for future retrieval.

The bottom of the Jezero Crater – believed to have formed 3.9 billion years ago from a massive impact – is considered to be among the most promising areas on Mars to search for evidence of ancient life. Perseverance's adventures have revealed some insights about the enigmatic Martian geology.

Then in 2024, after years in the trenches of Jezero, Perseverance in December finally summitted the steep Martian crater to begin the next leg of its journey exploring the crater's rim.

The rocks Perseverance has spent years collecting are of high interest to NASA and the European Space Agency, which hopes to one day soon retrieve the samples and bring them back to Earth before humans themselves venture to the Red Planet.

NASA's Curiosity rover has also been exploring the Martian surface since 2012 in the Gale Crater.

'Enhanced-color' photo shows Mars under Earth-like skies

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover captured this mosaic of an area nicknamed "Falbreen" on May 26. This enhanced-color version, which had its color bands processed to improve visual contrast and accentuate color differences, shows the Martian sky to be remarkably clear and deceptively blue.More

The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies May 26 on the Red Planet to capture the recent panoramic image from the rover's Mastcam-Z camera. The final product, a 360-degree panorama of an area nicknamed "Falbreen," was stitched together from 96 separate images.

One version shows Mars in all its natural rust-colored glory. The other mosaic is what NASA refers to as an "enhanced-color" version that had its color bands processed to "improve visual contrast and accentuate color differences," NASA said in a press release.

The result? A Martian sky that more accurately resembles Earth's.

"In this particular mosaic, we have enhanced the color contrast, which accentuates the differences in the terrain and sky," Jim Bell, Mastcam-Z’s principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe, said in a statement.

Several interesting features are visible in the image, including a rock that appears to lie on top of a sand ripple and hills as distant as 40 miles away. Tracks from the rover’s journey to the location can also be seen toward the mosaic’s right edge about 300 feet away.

In this natural-color version, colors have not been enhanced and the sky appears more reddish.

Martian 'helmet' and other recent rover discoveries

A handout photo of the Horneflya rock taken on Aug. 5 by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover.

The panoramic photo is just one of several recent sights and discoveries made possible by Perseverance in 2025.

Earlier in August, NASA published a photo of a rock on the surface of Mars with a pointed peak and a flared "brim" resembling a centuries-old helmet. The image, taken Aug. 5 by the rover's Left Mastcam-Z camera, was chosen as the photo of the week for week 234 of its mission on Mars.

Perseverance also made two incredible finds earlier in the year, the most recent of which occurred in March when the rover came across an oddly textured rock comprised of hundreds of millimeter-sized spheres.

In January, Perseverance also witnessed a relatively uncommon sight of two dust devils swirling and spinning near one another. NASA released the video and imagery of the phenomenon in April.

Contributing: James Powel, USA TODAY

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mars daylight skies photos show new NASA rover views

NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission: updates

Tariq Malik
Fri, August 15, 2025
SPACE.COM

Credit: NASA

SLS model rocket kit

Estes NASA SLS Model Rocket

You can launch a Space Launch System of your own with this Estes NASA SLS model rocket for a 1:200 scale version of NASA's moon megarocket. Read more about it.

NASA's Artemis 2 lunar mission in 2026 will send the first astronauts around the moon in more than 50 years. The mission will launch four astronauts around the moon on a lunar flyby aboard an Orion spacecraft using a Space Launch System rocket.

Artemis 2 is a ten-day mission that will send three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut around the moon on a free-return trajectory. It is the last test flight before the Artemis 3 crewed moon landing mission in 2027.

See our complete coverage of the Artemis 2 mission below.

NASA to announce Artemis 2 crew today

At long last, we're going to learn which astronauts will fly NASA's first crewed mission to the moon of the Artemis generation.

Today, April 3, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency will announce the four astronauts who will fly on the Artemis 2 mission around the moon in 2024. That crew is expected to include one Canadian astronaut and three NASA astronauts, but exactly who is yet to be revealed.

NASA will announce the crew in an event at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). Space.com staff writer Elizabeth Howell is on the scene at the event alongside contributor Robert Pearlman of collectSPACE.com.

You'll be able to watch it live on Space.com, as well as at the top of this page at start time.

While we wait, here's a nifty trailer from NASA for today's Artemis 2 crew reveal.
NASA Artemis 2 moon crew announcement underway

NASA's Artemis 2 moon astronaut crew reveal is underway live on NASA TV.

Speaking before a huge crowd at the Ellington Field in Houston, NASA's chief astronaut Joe Acaba began by inviting the entire astronaut corps to the stage.

"Your Artemis 2 astronauts are in the room with you ... I am not one of them," he said.

Canada's government minister responsible for space, François-Philippe Champagne, hailed the 60 year partnership of NASA + CSA and Canada's contribution of the CanadArm3 for the Gateway station around the moon: "We're going to the moon!" he cheered.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is now preparing to introduce the crew.

This post has been corrected to reflect François-Philippe Champagne's proper title.
Artemis 2 Moon Astronauts Revealed!

NASA's Artemis 2 moon crew are unveiled to the world, standing on a stage at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center in Houston on April 3, 2023. They are, from left: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hanson of Canada; and Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Christina Koch, all of NASA. | Credit: NASA TVMore

NASA chief Bill Nelson has unveiled the first astronaut crew to visit the moon in more than 50 years. They Artemis 2 crew are:
Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA

Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Reid Wiseman, 47, spent 165 days in Earth orbit on his first mission, a 2014 flight to the ISS. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, and former fighter pilot for the U.S. Navy, he was selected for NASA's 20th astronaut class in 2009. Wiseman recently served as chief of NASA's astronaut office from 2020 to 2022.
Pilot Victor Glover, NASA

Credit: NASA

Victor Glover, 46, became a NASA astronaut in 2013. He flew as pilot of SpaceX's first operational crewed spaceflight (Crew-1) and logged 167 days on the ISS in 2021. Born in Pomona, California, he is an engineer and captain in the U.S. Navy. Glover was the first Black astronaut to serve on a space station crew.
Mission Specialist Christina Koch, NASA

Credit: NASA Johnson

Christina Koch, 44, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and raised in Jacksonville, North Carolina. A member of NASA's 21st astronaut class selected in 2013, Koch set a record aboard the International Space Station for the single longest mission by a woman at 328 days. During that 2019 stay, she was also one-half of the first-ever all-female spacewalk. Koch is an engineer and former U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) station chief.
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency

Credit: NASA

Jeremy Hansen, 47, was chosen to join Canada's astronaut corps in 2009. A colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he was born in London, Ontario. Though Artemis 2 will be his first time in space, Hansen served as an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater lab in 2014 and took a turn as a "cavenaut" as part of the European Space Agency's CAVES astronaut training course the year prior.
Artemis 2 astronauts thrilled for moon mission

Credit: NASA

The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis 2 mission are thrilled, to say the least, to be on the crew that will send the first humans to the moon in more than 50 years. You can read our full story here.

Set to launch on a Space Launch System megarocket in 2024, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency will fly around the moon, much like Apollo 8, on their Orion spacecraft.

Here's what they had to say of the mission today:

Commander Reid Wiseman: "This is a global effort, Artemis 2, and it's only going to get larger with Artemis 3 and beyond as we get private spaceflight involved. SpaceX is building our lander for Artemis 3. So to the NASA workforce, to our program managers, our center directors that are here, the amazing political support that we feel right now to bring our country together to bring our entire world together to go explore to get to Mars and beyond, we say a huge thank you."

Pilot Victor Glover: "We need to celebrate this moment in human history. Because Artemis two is more than a mission to the moon and it's more than a mission that has to happen before we send people to the surface of the moon. It is the next step on the journey that gets humanity to Mars.

"Human spaceflight is like a relay race, and that baton has been passed generation to generation and from crew member to crew member from the Gemini, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Apollo Soyuz, Skylab Mir, the shuttle, International Space Station, commercial crew and and now the Artemis missions. We understand our role in that. And when we have the privilege of having that baton. We're going to do our best to run a good race to make you proud. I pray that God will bless this mission. But I also pray that we can continue to serve as a source of inspiration for cooperation and peace, not just between nations, but in our own nation."

Mission specialist Christina Koch: "When I think about this mission, that's a relay race with international partners, it's all so awesome in and of itself

"We are going to launch for Kennedy Space Center to the work of the exploration Ground Systems team. We're going to hear the words go for launch on top of the most powerful rocket NASA's ever made the Space Launch System, and we're gonna ride that rocket for eight minutes into Earth orbit. We're not going to go to the moon right away. We're gonna stay in an amazing high orbit, reaching a peak of tens of thousands of miles while we test out all the systems on Orion and see how it maneuvers in space. And then if everything was good, we're heading to the moon.

"It will be a four day journey, going a quarter of a million miles, continuing to test out every bit of Orion going around the far side of the moon, heading home going through the Earth's atmosphere at over 25,000 miles per hour and splashing down in the Pacific. So am I excited? Absolutely. But my real question is Are you excited? I asked that because the one thing I'm most excited about is that we are going to carry your excitement, your aspirations, your dreams with us on this mission. Artemis to your mission."

Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen: "Our scientists or engineers, the Canadian Space Agency, the Canadian Armed Forces across government, all of our leadership working together under a vision to take step by step and all of those have added up to this moment where a Canadian is going to the moon with our international partnership and it is glorious."
Artemis 2 mission benefits from Canadian winter experience

Cold weather is helping to boost the fortunes of Canada in space, including its contributions to Artemis 2.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen will the first non-American to leave low Earth orbit, alongside three NASA crewmates, no earlier than 2024. Canadian leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argues that Canada's winter experience is one big reason for its success in space.

Trudeau emphasized that working in Canada's north helped with numerous kinds of technology, including the Canadarm robotic arm series that has provided Canadian astronaut seats for nearly 40 years.

The Arctic in particular represents "some of the harshest environments" available to humans, and Trudeau joked that when asked about why Canada does so well in space, he responds: "Obvious. Winter."

Read more: Winter is coming: Artemis 2 moon mission gets boost from Canadian cold

Artemis 2 astronaut completes vision quest

Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen took this picture of a totem pole during a vision quest with the Turtle Lodge. The lodge is situated on the Indigenous lands of Sagkeeng First Nation (also known as Fort Alexander), Manitoba, Canada, on the southern tip of Lake Winnipeg. | Credit: Jeremy Hansen/Canadian Space Agency/TwitterMore

An Artemis 2 astronaut recently finished a vision quest to help prepare for his upcoming trip around the moon.

Jeremy Hansen recently participated in the four-day Indigenous rite of passage as part of Artemis 2 mission training, the Canadian Space Agency astronaut tweeted.

"I would like to express my gratitude to Anishinaabe Elder David Courchene III 'Sabe' for the gracious invitation," Hansen said of the ceremony, which took place at Turtle Lodge in Manitoba on the lands of the Sagkeeng First Nation (also known as Fort Alexander).

On Tuesday (June 13), Hansen added he has completed the ceremony and "I have a renewed appreciation for all that Mother Earth provides, especially water."

Read more: Artemis 2 astronaut goes on vision quest to prepare for moon mission

Artemis 2 astronaut plays cowboy at Calgary Stampede

Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen on board the horse Cisco while practicing for the Calgary Stampede in July 2023. | Credit: Jeremy Hansen/Canadian Space Agency/Twitter

Canadian Artemis 2 moon astronaut Jeremy Hansen, partnering with his borrowed horse Cisco, pretended to be a cowboy at Canada's Calgary Stampede fair last week in the western province of Alberta.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who flew on the space shuttle Columbia in 1986 while a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, also visited the event. The two appeared in flight suits and cowboy hats as part of the celebration of cowboy culture, which annually draws a million participants.

Read more: Yeehaw! NASA chief and Artemis 2 moon astronaut play cowboy for a day (photo)

3 Orion spacecraft line up for their moon missions

From left to right: The Orion spacecraft for Artemis 2, 3 and 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center bound for the moon. | Credit: NASA/Marie Reed

Three crew-carrying spacecraft are getting ready for their big moon missions.

The Orion capsules for the Artemis 2, Artemis 3 and Artemis 4 moon missions are coming together at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida under stewardship of contractor Lockheed Martin.

"The future of @NASA_Orion is looking pretty good," Lockheed officials wrote on Twitter Friday (July 14) of the three spacecraft, each of which is expected to ferry astronauts to the moon starting in late 2024 or so.

Read more: These 3 Orion spacecraft will carry Artemis astronauts to the moon (photo)
Artemis 2 crew member praises NASA supersonic jet

Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen flying the T-38 aircraft. Behind him is fellow Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons. | Credit: Jeremy Hansen/Facebook/Canadian Space Agency

A moon astronaut recently honored the decades of supersonic trainer work that NASA has put in with its T-38s.

Artemis 2 Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen praised the supersonic T-38 trainer jet for its ability to keep astronauts on their toes while in flight. "We use these airplanes because they're challenging," Hansen said in a video released Tuesday (July 18) on the CSA's social media channels.

Manufacturer Northrop Grumman says more than 72,000 U.S. Air Force pilots have trained in the T-38 since it first rolled off the line in 1961. Though it was only manufactured until 1972, more than 500 continue to be used by both the Air Force and NASA.

Read more: Artemis 2 moon astronaut explains risk of flying NASA's supersonic training jet

Artemis 2 astronauts deep in moon training

The Artemis 2 crew includes, from left: NASA astronaut and pilot Victor Glover, NASA astronaut and mission scientist Christina Koch, NASA astronaut and commander Reid Wiseman, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. | Credit: NASAMore

The first moon crew in 52 years, Artemis 2, includes a lot of diversity. They've been to the International Space Station, the U.S. Senate, in combat and in many other locations.

Now as the foursome — NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen — get ready for the moon, lead training officer Jacki Mahaffey told Space.com how she is using their experience in training.

Read more: How Artemis 2 astronauts are training for their 2024 moon mission
NASA finishes first practice countdown for Artemis 2

The Artemis 2 launching team at NASA recently finished their first dress rehearsal to send four astronauts safely into space to go around the moon.

This crucial "sim" is one of many that NASA will do for the November 2024 mission. The mission includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Read more: NASA practices for 2024 launch of Artemis 2 moon mission

Artemis 2 moon astronauts do splashdown training with US Navy

Sailors with the U.S. Navy practice for Artemis 2 recovery operations on July 18, 2023 in operations done alongside NASA. Visible here are sailors with the helicopter sea combat squadron 23, the "Wildcards", waiting for an MH-60S Seahawk to send down a recovery basket. The astronauts of Artemis 2 will use a similar recovery basket after returning to Earth via the ocean. | Credit: U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua SamolukMore

The Artemis 2 astronauts worked with the U.S. Navy team recently on splashdown operations. The Navy and NASA are training to recover the four-person crew, which will circle around the moon no earlier than November 2024, after they complete their 10-day mission.

While the crew familiarized themselves with the team and procedures, NASA and the Department of Defense practiced recovery operations nearby San Diego using equipment such as helicopters, boats and the USS John P. Murtha.

Read more: See Artemis 2 moon astronauts train with US Navy for Orion splashdown (photos, video)

Artemis 2 moon astronauts rehearse for launch day

The Artemis 2 moon crew during a launch simulation at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 20, 2023. They stand on the crew access arm at Launch 39B, which will one day bring them to the waiting Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. From left: NASA astronaut and pilot Victor Glover, Canadian Space Agency astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronaut and mission specialist Christina Koch, and NASA astronaut and commander Reid Wiseman. | Credit: NASA/Frank MichauxMore

The Artemis 2 moon astronauts practiced for launch day at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday (Sept. 20), complete with spacesuits and a drive to the launch pad to ascend the mobile launcher.

"I just had images of all those Apollo launches and shuttle launches that I saw as a kid and it was unreal," Artemis 2 pilot Victor Glover said in a NASA statement. "I actually had to stop and just stay in the moment to really let it all sink in."

Aboard the round-the-moon mission, slated to launch in late 2024, will be NASA commander Reid Wiseman, NASA pilot Victor Glover (the first person of color to leave Earth orbit), NASA mission specialist Christina Koch (the first woman to do so) and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen (the first non-American).

Read more: Artemis 2 astronaut crew suits up for moon launch dress rehearsal (photos, video)

How Artemis 2 moon astronauts will live in space

Artemis 2 crew members inspect their Orion crew module inside the high bay of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 7, 2023. | Credit: NASAMore

The Artemis 2 astronauts and other personnel are testing living activities the crew will do on the 10-day moon mission, including sleeping, eating and of course, going to the bathroom. The four astronauts will spend all of their time in the Orion spacecraft, learning how to live and work together in a small space.

Read more: Here's how Artemis 2 astronauts will exercise, sleep and use the toilet on their moon mission (photos)
Artemis 2 core stage faces welding issues: report

While Artemis 2 remains on track for its round-the-moon mission with astronauts in 2024, welding issues on the core stage of its massive rocket are ongoing, a report suggests.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's core stage, expected to launch the four-astronaut Artemis 2 around the moon, is facing unspecified "weld issues" during assembly at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. The issue was reported in NASA Spaceflight and NASA did not immediately respond to queries from Space.com about the matter.

Read more: Welding issues stall Artemis 2 moon rocket's assembly, but 2024 mission still on track: report

NASA shows off Artemis moon astronauts' electric car for launch pad rides

A view of the Artemis moon crew's ride to the launch pad, inside an electric car by Canoo Technologies Inc. | Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

NASA recently displayed the shiny inside of its new fleet of astronaut cars from Canoo Technologies Inc., all assigned to the Artemis program. It was the first look at the interior ahead of the debut crew Artemis 2, using the all-electric vehicles to get the the launch pad for their round-the-moon mission starting in 2024.

The moon crew's car interior came to light at a racing event: The Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix of the United States in Austin, Texas between Oct. 20 and 22. Artemis 2 astronauts Reid Wiseman (from NASA) and Jeremy Hansen (from the Canadian Space Agency) also were there on Oct. 22 talking with some of the racing companies.

Read more: NASA's Artemis moon astronauts will ride to the launch pad in these sleek electric cars (photos)

Orion spacecraft for Artemis astronaut moon mission assembled

The Orion spacecraft for the moon mission Artemis 2 comes together at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians joined the European service module with the crew module at the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building Oct. 19. | Credit: NASAMore

NASA's astronaut moon spacecraft is under assembly. The Orion spacecraft for Artemis 2's round-the-moon mission in 2024 had its crew and service modules joined at NASA on Oct. 19.

More tests are planned on the joined pieces, including power-on examinations and altitude chamber testing. It's a significant milestone for the mission that will carry four astronauts to lunar realms in just over a year.

Read more: Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft comes together ahead of 2024 moon mission (photos)

Artemis 2 mobile launcher soaked in 'water flow test'

The mobile launcher for Artemis 2 during a water flow test at the pad on Oct. 26, 2023, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. | Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The mobile launcher for Artemis 2, a big moon mission, got soaked Tuesday (Oct. 24) in a mission safety test ahead of the 2024 mission.

The mobile launcher that will be used to launch the powerful Space Launch System rocket had a "water flow test", the third at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to "verify the overpressure protection and sound suppression system is ready for launch," NASA officials wrote in a brief statement Thursday (Oct. 26).

"During liftoff, 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water will rush onto the pad to help protect NASA's SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, mobile launcher, and launch pad from any over pressurization and extreme sound produced during ignition and liftoff," agency officials added.

Read more: Watch NASA's Artemis 2 mobile rocket launcher get soaked during water deluge test (video)

Canadian astronaut ready for the moon, his first mission in space

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a mission specialist on moon mission Artemis 2. | Credit: Robert Markowitz - NASA - JSC

After 15 years waiting for space, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is getting ready for the moon. He is one of the mission specialists aboard Artemis 2, which aims to launch four astronauts in 2024, and says the first seven months of training for the NASA mission is reinforcing to him all the years of experience he already has in assisting with human space missions and space policy.

"The only thing that does feel different is that there is this personal aspect of, 'I've been working to actually fly in space and do the astronaut aspects'," Hansen told Space.com in an exclusive 30-minute interview on Friday (Oct. 27.) "It does feel like it's getting closer, and much closer, than it's ever felt before. So there is that sense, and that is really fun for me."

Read more: Artemis 2 moon astronaut says crew is ready for ambitious 2024 mission
Boosters assemble! Artemis 2 moon rockets come together in new video

An astronaut moon rocket comes together at NASA in a new epic video.

Twin rocket boosters for Artemis 2, now being assembled at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, will assist the agency's powerful Space Launch System rocket as it sends four astronauts on a round-the-moon mission in 2024.

You can watch KSC teams piece together parts of each booster's aft assembly – the booster part that steers them during flight.

Read more: Watch NASA build Artemis 2 astronaut moon rocket boosters ahead of 2024 launch (video)

Artemis 2 moon spacecraft powers on ahead of 2024 mission

NASA astronaut Christina Koch, an Artemis 2 mission specialist for the moon mission, tests the side hatch of an Orion spacecraft at Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. The Orion spacecraft set to carry Koch and three others around the moon finished a power-on test at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 6, 2023. | Credit: NASAMore

The Orion spacecraft for Artemis 2 powered on this week successfully ahead of its historic moon mission with four astronauts in 2024.

Seeing power flow to Orion was a large milestone following the moment when the American-made crew module and European Service Module (ESM) joined at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in mid-October, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Once ready, Orion will carry NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, who are undergoing 18 months of training to get ready for the first human moon mission in 52 years.

Read more: NASA powers up Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft ahead of 2024 moon mission
Artemis 2 readies for astronaut moon launch 1 year after Artemis 1

Space fans, get ready to start your moon engines.

NASA's Artemis 1 uncrewed moon mission lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Nov. 16, 2022. One year later, the next moon rocket ride for astronauts is in testing for a new mission that could launch in late 2024.

The crewed mission, known as Artemis 2, will send four astronauts around the moon. As the quartet continue their complex training, their Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, side boosters, Orion spacecraft and other key elements are under assembly in various parts of the United States.

Read more: 1 year after Artemis 1 launch, NASA readies Artemis 2 to shoot for the moon again (video)

Canadian Space Agency names backup astronaut for Artemis 2

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons. | Credit: Canadian Space Agency

The Canadian Space Agency may bring the third Canadian woman into space as soon as 2024, should she be needed for a moon mission.

Fire scientist Jenni Gibbons was named Tuesday (Nov. 22) as backup for Jeremy Hansen, the CSA astronaut flying around the moon with Artemis 2 in 2024. The CSA is a signatory to the NASA-led Artemis Accords that has two purposes: peaceful space exploration norms and for some participants, moon missions.

That wasn't the only big space news for CSA on Tuesday. Canada typically receives missions every six years based on its ISS contributions, and current spacecraft capacity. The next long-duration mission will be with Joshua Kutryk, a test pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force, will fly on the first operational Boeing Starliner mission in 2025 for a half-year mission to the ISS.

Read more: Canada assigns astronauts to launch on Boeing's Starliner, back up Artemis 2 moon mission

Artemis 2 astronauts autograph moon rocket

NASA astronaut Christina Koch, a mission specialist for the Artemis 2 moon mission, signs her name to the Orion spacecraft stage adapter for NASA's Space Launch System rocket on Nov. 27, 2023. | Credit: NASA/Charles BeasonMore

The Artemis 2 crew signed their names Monday (Nov. 27) on the adapter for their Orion spacecraft, which will be mounted on top of the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The rocket will send them around the moon in 2024.

The four astronauts, wearing cleanroom outfits, were visiting NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The adapter will be under Orion during the launch, the first human one to the moon since 1972.

Read more: Artemis 2 moon astronauts autograph their own rocket 1 year before launch

Artemis 2 moon mission hardware building up at NASA centers

A part of a booster that will bring Artemis 2 into space for its 2024 moon mission, alongside NASA's powerful Space Launch System. Here, engineers and technicians process the right forward center segment of the solid rocket booster inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. | Credit: NASAMore

NASA's Artemis 2 mission remains on track to send four astronauts around the moon in late 2024. The crew is continuing their training while the hardware that will carry them to space — the Orion capsule and giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — is being readied at different NASA centers.

Read more: NASA building giant Artemis 2 moon rocket ahead of 2024 launch

Artemis 2 moon astronauts meet President Biden

The Artemis 2 moon crew speaks to reporters outside the White House on Dec. 14, 2023 after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. From left: NASA commander Reid Wiseman, NASA pilot Victor Glover, NASA mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. | Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesMore

NASA's Artemis 2 moon crew, led by NASA, met with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday (Dec. 14) and talked with reporters afterwards about the support Biden is offering for the historic mission, the first to fly to the moon with humans since 1972.

The crew talked to Biden "about their training and science plans for the mission, set to launch in late 2024," according to a small update on NASA HQ Photo's X account (formerly Twitter). Aside from Wiseman, the Artemis 2 astronauts include NASA pilot Victor Glover (the first person of color to leave low Earth orbit), NASA mission specialist Christina Koch (the first woman) and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (the first non-American).

Read more: Artemis 2 astronauts meet President Biden to talk America's next trip to the moon

that time when 3 moon astronauts once flew, supersonic-style, by a NASA lunar rocket on the pad

NASA's T-38 jets fly in formation above the Space Launch System rocket for Artemis 1 on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. | Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman helped organize a special event in 2022: he was part of a group of astronauts flying the famous T-38 jet trainers past the Artemis 1 SLS on the launch pad on Aug. 23, 2022.

Nobody knew it back then, but three of the four Artemis 2 crew were in the tight formation: Wiseman, NASA mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. (Only absent was NASA pilot Victor Glover, who was away on other duties at the time.)

Read more: What's it like to buzz an Artemis SLS moon rocket with a supersonic jet? NASA's Artemis 2 commander tells all

Artemis 2's NASA backup astronaut named to moon mission

NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, who is a backup crew member for Artemis 2, wearing an augmented reality device on his eye, during a field project at the San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona on May 21, 2024. | Credit: NASA/Josh ValcarcelMore

NASA astronaut Andre Douglas will serve as backup for the three U.S. astronauts on the Artemis 2 round-the-moon flight, the agency announced today (July 3).

Douglas will back up commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch. Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is also a mission specialist on Artemis 2, already has a backup: astronaut Jenni Gibbons, also with CSA.

"I've always been fascinated with new things. I like to develop things," Douglas told Space.com in March about the Artemis program, which later this decade aims to put astronauts on the moon's surface for the first time since 1972. "I really believe in pushing ourselves, in understanding what is our true potential: both me as an individual, [and] within all of us as a species."

"This is the perfect place to be, where we're going to push that boundary," he said.

Read more: NASA announces Artemis 2 moon mission backup astronaut — Andre Douglas will support 2025 lunar liftoff
Artemis 2 core stage to arrive at KSC

NASA will livestream the arrival of the Artemis 2 core stage at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Wednesday (July 23) on X, the agency announced. The livestream will start at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT).

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis 2 booster left the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility, in New Orleans on July 16 for a journey on NASA's Pegasus barge to KSC, near Orlando. The core stage has reached the Floridian shore as of Monday (July 21), but has not yet gone on to KSC grounds, according to social media posts.

Artemis 2 is the first human lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972 and plans to send four astronauts around the moon no earlier than September 2025.
NASA live has begun with Artemis 2 core stage!

NASA has begun its livestream from the Kennedy Space Center area to broadcast the arrival of the Artemis 2 core stage at the facility. Watch live on X here.
NASA livestream concludes

NASA just finished its livestream from the Kennedy Space Center area regarding the arrival of the Artemis 2 core stage at the facility. Watch Space.com for more coverage.

NASA's Artemis 2 rocket core stage arrives near launch pad in Florida

The core stage for Artemis 2's Space Launch System arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, nearby the launch pad, on July 24, 2024. | Credit: NASA/Isaac WatsonMore

An astronaut crew's rocket made its last major journey on Earth before blasting off for the moon.

The core stage of Artemis 2's rocket came to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Tuesday (July 23). The rocket stage was offloaded from NASA's Pegasus barge, which shipped the rocket stage 900 miles (1,450 km) by water from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, in a seven-hour operation aided by remote controlled vehicles known as self-propelled modular transporters.

The 212-foot (65-meter) stage then made the half-mile (0.8 km) journey to NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building where it will eventually be joined to the rest of the Space Launch System rocket for a launch no earlier than September 2025.

Read more: Watch NASA's massive Artemis 2 rocket core stage arrive in Florida. Next stop: the moon (video, photos)
Why opening the door on Artemis 2 moon spacecraft requires practice

The four Artemis 2 astronauts recently practiced a key contingency operation as they continue to prepare for their moon mission: opening the side hatch of their Orion spacecraft.

If all goes well during Artemis 2's planned September 2025 launch and round-the-moon mission, of course, the astronauts will keep all doors firmly shut. Conducting the first human lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972, however, requires a strict focus on safety — just in case.

Read more: Artemis 2 astronauts train for emergencies with Orion spacecraft ahead of 2025 moon launch (photos)

NASA delays Artemis 2 moon mission to April 2026

NASA is waiting another year to launch its Artemis 2 mission.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the latest delay on Thursday (Dec. 5) during a press conference with Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman and agency leadership. The administrator cited issues with the heat shield on the mission's Orion spacecraft. During the Artemis 1 test flight mission in late 2022, more material charred away from the capsule's heat shield than was expected, and NASA is still studying the issue to determine its cause.

Nevertheless, the agency is pushing ahead with Artemis 2 with the mission's Orion capsule and existing heat shield already installed. NASA made the decision "after an extensive investigation of an Artemis 1 heat shield issue showed the Artemis 2 heat shield can keep the crew safe during the planned mission with changes to Orion’s trajectory," the agency wrote in a statement on Dec. 5.

T-6 months until the earliest window opens for the launch of Artemis 2

Credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner

Humanity's first journey to the moon in more than 50 years could launch as soon as February 2026.

Artemis 2 will fly NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the moon and back, marking the first space travelers to do so since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.

The crew will launch on NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, currently being stacked in the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). They will ride aboard the Orion space capsule on a free-return trajectory, circling the moon once before their course throws them out of lunar space and back toward Earth.

The mission could launch as early as February 2026, though Artemis 2 crew members have stated that may be pushed to as late as April.

Artemis 3 is currently slated for NET (no earlier than) 2027. That mission will fly a crew of four, yet to be named, on the first mission of the Artemis program to land on the lunar surface.

Catch up on Artemis 2's progress as the mission has progressed toward liftoff:

NASA's Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft fuels up and moves closer to launch

NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft arrives at the Launch Abort System Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. | Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, moved the newly-fueled Orion crew capsule from the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) to the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF), where it will be outfitted with its emergency escape system. The move marks a major milestone in preparing the spacecraft for the first crewed flight.

Now that Orion is inside the LASF, engineers will install its 44-foot (13.4-meter) launch abort system, designed to propel the crew capsule away from its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in the event of an emergency.

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Artemis 2 moon astronauts suit up and enter their Orion spacecraft together for 1st time

The Artemis 2 crew (from left to right) CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Christina Koch, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; and Reid Wiseman, commander, in their Orion Crew Survival System Suits during an Orion crew module training on July 31, 2025 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. | Credit: NASA/Rad SinyakMore

With just months left before the historic launch, the Artemis crew is hard at work finishing their training and preparations. As part of that training, the whole crew suited up in their launch and entry suits to enter their Orion spacecraft together for the first time on July 31 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida during what is known as a suited crew test.

Orion was powered on with the crew inside, giving them a feeling for what they'll actually experience on launch day. They were plugged into the capsule's life support and communications systems as well as given a variety of simulated ground and flight conditions. These included putting the crew through challenging scenarios such as sudden leaks or life support system malfunctions. The goal was to help "ensure the crew is ready for any scenario," NASA wrote in a statement.

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NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket gets 2nd stage even as Trump tries to scrap Space Launch System

The ICPS is lowered onto SLS's stage adapter inside the VAB, May 1, 2025. | Credit: NASA

The giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues to grow inside the NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, stacked the rocket's second stage onto the launch vehicle Thursday (May 1). The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) is responsible for carrying the Orion spacecraft and crew the rest of the way into orbit around the Earth, and then sending them on their way to the moon.

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NASA completes SLS core stage stacking for Artemis 2 moon mission

The Artemis 2 Core Stage is lifted into High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, March 23, 2025. | Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

The core stage of NASA's next Space Launch System (SLS) rocket recently completed integration with the vehicle's side boosters inside the agency's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida. "Technicians joined the core stage March 23 with the stacked solid rocket boosters for the mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC)," NASA officials wrote in a statement Monday (March 24). SLS's solid rocket boosters are responsible for lofting the 322-foot (98-meter), fully stacked vehicle through the first stage of launch. Each booster stands 177 feet (54 meters) tall, and together they provide more than three quarters of SLS's total thrust at liftoff.

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NASA delays Artemis 2 moon mission to 2026, Artemis 3 astronaut landing to mid-2027

NASA's uncrewed Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft near the moon in November 2022. | Credit: NASA

NASA announced Dec. 5 that it's delaying the planned launch of Artemis 2, a flight that will send four people around the moon and back, from September 2025 to April 2026. And Artemis 3, a crewed moon landing that had been targeted for late 2026, is now scheduled for mid-2027. The extra time is needed primarily to finish prepping the Orion capsule for its first-ever crewed flights, according to NASA officials.

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Artemis 2's Orion capsule goes into altitude chamber to prep for 2025 moon mission

Credit: Lockheed Martin/David Wellendorf

The Orion spacecraft recently reentered an altitude chamber at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion, which is built by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, will do more testing in space-like conditions to ensure it is ready for liftoff, NASA officials stated(Nov. 12).

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NASA faces tough decisions on Orion capsule's heat shield for Artemis moon missions

After NASA’s Orion spacecraft was recovered at the conclusion of the Artemis 1 test flight and transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, its heat shield was removed from the crew module inside the Operations and Checkout Building and rotated for inspection. | Credit: NASAMore

NASA remains in an ongoing test mode to determine what's behind the ablative thermal protective material that chipped away unexpectedly from the Artemis 1 Orion heat shield during its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere back on Dec. 11, 2022.

In a post-flight analysis of the Artemis 1 heat shield, NASA identified more than 100 locations where ablative thermal protective material was liberated during its speedy reentry. Work to determine the root cause did conclude last summer, but additional testing is ongoing, and is expected to conclude by the end of November.

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NASA inspector general finds Orion heat shield issues 'pose significant risks' to Artemis 2 crew safety

NASA's Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022. | Credit: NASA/James M. Blair

NASA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on May 1 titled "NASA's Readiness for the Artemis 2 Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit," which aims to determine how ready NASA is to launch its Artemis 2 moon mission, currently scheduled for late 2025.

The inspector general writes that the Artemis 1 test flight of the Orion spacecraft "revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution that pose significant risks to the safety of the crew." Resolution of these anomalies is among the most significant factors impacting NASA's readiness for Artemis 2, the report adds.

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NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft aced moon mission despite heat shield issue

Orion snapped this high-resolution selfie in space with a camera mounted on its solar array wing during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the third day into the Artemis 1 mission. | Credit: NASAMore

NASA's Orion spacecraft performed better than expected on its first deep-space flight despite experiencing unpredicted loss of its heat shield material. In a teleconference on March 7, NASA leadership discussed Orion's performance on the historic Artemis 1 mission. During Tuesday's call, NASA program managers revealed that Orion's heat shield did not perform as expected, losing more material than the agency had planned for.

Howard Hu, manager of NASA's Orion Program, lauded the crew module's performance during the test flight, noting that NASA was able to accomplish 161 overall test objectives planned for the mission, even adding an additional 21 during the flight based on the spacecraft's performance.

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1 year after Artemis 1 launch, NASA readies Artemis 2 to shoot for the moon again

The Space Launch System rocket for Artemis 2, a NASA-led mission that will carry four astronauts around the moon, with all four RS-25 engines installed. | Credit: NASA

NASA highlighted the Boeing-led SLS construction in a recent time-lapse, and in October the agency celebrated the final mating of all four Aerojet Rocketdyne (L3Harris Technologies) RS-25 engines to the 212-foot (65-meter) core stage of the rocket. The recycled space shuttle engines will help send Artemis 2 aloft, kicking off the human stage of the NASA-led Artemis program.

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NASA powers up Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft ahead of 2024 moon mission

Credit: SpaceX

The mobile launch tower supporting NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis 2 is undergoing repairs and upgrades following the massive liftoff of the successful uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in November 2022. All of the major hardware for Artemis 2's SLS is in Florida aside from the core stage, which is undergoing repairs in Louisiana before shipment here. The European Space Agency service module for Artemis 2's Orion capsule is also on site, and the heat shield should be ready by early next year.

NASA is awaiting more information from SpaceX and the readiness of the company's next-gen Starship system, which has been tasked with landing the Artemis 3 astronauts near the moon's south pole. NASA officials were recently at Starbase, SpaceX's Starship hub in South Texas, to go over schedules and readiness expectations.

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Orion spacecraft gets its heat shield for Artemis 2 moon mission

Installation of the heat shield for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft was recently completed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. | Credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida have attached the heat shield to the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft. Teams completed the Artemis 2 heat shield installation on June 25, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at KSC. Next, Orion's outer paneling will be secured and the spacecraft prepared for acoustic testing.

Orion has additional hardware installations and vehicle qualifications to endure before it is declared space-worthy, however.

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Meet the 4 astronauts flying on NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission

The Artemis II crew, from left: pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch. Together, they will become the first people to fly to the moon in more than 50 years. | Credit: NASA/Robert MarkowitzMore

NASA announced the four crewmembers of Artemis 2 on Monday, April 3. The quartet consists of NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen.

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