PITTSBURGH, PA (PTTP) – After several years of delays, the Artemis II has finally been launched into orbit on Wednesday, April 1st.
The Artemis II is a flyby mission that aims to have its crew circumnavigate the moon. It is the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the moon in over fifty years, making it a historic mission for the 21st century.
The crew, three NASA astronauts and one from the Canadian Space Agency, is on course for the ten-day trip. The planned flightpath should have the crew surpass the previous record for the furthest distance from Earth, currently held by Apollo 13.
While this voyage will not land on the moon, Artemis II is a vital step for all future manned spaceflights. NASA currently projects that Artemis IV will send astronauts back to the moon’s surface, a mission planned for 2028.