NASA had hoped to send four astronauts on a trip around the moon as part of the Artemis II mission in February, but technical problems with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket forced the space agency to postpone the much-hyped endeavor.
If all is well, the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency will fly away from the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida next month.
To keep space fans entertained while they wait, NASA recently released a trailer (above) for its documentary series setting up the epic journey.
MoonboundAvailable to view for free on NASA’s website, it follows the Artemis II astronauts as they prepare for the historic mission that will send humans to the moon for the first time in more than five decades.
The astronauts won’t land on the moon, but they will get within about 4,000 to 6,000 miles of the lunar surface before orbiting the other side and returning home. The entire mission from launch to landing will take approximately 10 days.
“We are now at the point where we are ready to fly,” says Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover in the trailer. Jeremy Hansen adds, “I’m driven by the spirit of discovery. There’s just something about pushing the boundaries that really captures my passion.”
Recently installed NASA chief Jared Isaacman described the upcoming Artemis II mission as “a significant step forward for human spaceflight,” adding, “This historic mission will take humans farther from Earth than ever before and provide the insights we need to return to the moon… (the mission) represents a step forward in establishing a permanent lunar presence and sending Americans to Mars.”
The target date for the much-anticipated lunar landing was recently pushed back from 2027 to 2028 as part of the Artemis IV mission, while Artemis III will now function as a crewed test flight in low Earth orbit.
Meanwhile, the Artemis II crew continues its final training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as NASA continues to work toward launch possibilities in 2026, with April being the current target.
