For the first time in over 50 years, humans are preparing to travel near the moon again. NASA's Artemis 2 mission will send four astronauts on a journey around the moon, marking a major step in returning people to the lunar surface.
Artemis 2 is the second mission in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to send American astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The mission will not land on the moon, but it is crucial in testing the technology, equipment, and flight path needed for future missions that will land astronauts on the moon.
The four astronauts will travel farther from Earth than any human has ever gone, reaching a distance of 6,000 miles above the moon's surface.
They will be able to see parts of the far side of the moon that even Apollo astronauts never saw, with the moon appearing about the size of a basketball held at arm's length.
The mission is set to launch on April 1, with a two-hour window starting at 6:24pm ET, and will use NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule.
The astronauts will travel to space on the SLS rocket, which is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever used, producing 8.8 million pounds of thrust when it launches.
The Orion capsule is built by Lockheed Martin and has modern technology and strong safety features, including special storage to protect astronauts from harmful solar radiation.
The mission will launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with four astronauts on board: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
After completing their journey, the spacecraft will use Earth's gravity to return home, deploying parachutes and landing in the Pacific Ocean near California.
NASA's Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 and eventually build a base near the moon's south pole where water ice may be available.
Future missions are already planned, with Artemis 3 astronauts expected to dock with commercial lunar landers in 2027, and a moon landing possible as early as 2028 during Artemis 4.
