NASA to send humans around Moon on April 1
What's the story
NASA is all set to embark on a historic journey with its Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight around the Moon in over five decades. The highly anticipated event will take place on April 1, from Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch is scheduled for 10:54pm IST and will be carried out by NASA's powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
Launch preparations
SLS tanking operations broadcast April 1
Before the launch, teams will conduct tanking operations to load propellant into the SLS rocket. This process will be broadcasted on April 1 from 7:45am EDT (6:15pm IST). If Artemis II doesn't launch on April 1, there are still opportunities through April 6 with the next available date being April 30.
Crew composition
Artemis II crew includes 4 astronauts
The Artemis II mission will first enter low Earth orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew includes Reid Williams (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). After launch, the Orion capsule will execute a key 'trans-lunar injection' burn about 24 hours later to send the crew toward the Moon.
Mission highlights
Lunar flyby on April 6
The highlight of the mission will be the lunar flyby on April 6, with coverage starting on NASA+ at 12:45pm EDT (11:15pm IST). An hour later, the crew will go farther from Earth than any human in history, breaking Apollo 13's record of 400,170km. On April 7, the Artemis II crew will have an audio-only chat with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Mission conclusion
Splashdown off San Diego on April 10
The return journey will begin on April 8 with a status briefing and CSA downlink. The crew will hold a news conference from space on April 9. The mission is set to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego's coast on April 10 at 8:06pm EDT. A US Navy San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will recover both crew and spacecraft after the planned splashdown.