NASA has announced plans to launch its lunar mission sooner than expected as the first crewed flight in its Artemis II program is expected to make the trip around the moon and back as soon as February 2026.
Earlier, the US-based space agency was committed to launch the mission no later than the end of April.
After 50 years of landing the first humans under the Apollo programme, this is the first time NASA will send four astronauts around the moon and back to the test system.
The United States made history for the first time in lunar exploration under the Apollo missions (1961-1972) by landing a total of 12 astronauts on the lunar surface.
Apollo consisted of missions, including Apollo 11 (1969) and Apollo 17 (1972). After Apollo 17, NASA underwent a paradigm shift in its approach, turning its attention towards the International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle program away from lunar exploration.
After a 50-year hiatus, the space agency came forward with the Artemis programme, dubbed as the multi-billion-dollar flagship project by the US in a bid to ensure the sustainable presence of humans on the Moon.
In the first Artemis mission, an uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft was carried out, culminating in the successful orbit around the moon in November 2022. The mission lasted for 25 days.
Artemis II is expected to take place by February 2026. In a significant 10-day flight, four astronauts will go on a trip around the Moon and back to Earth.
In the team, four astronauts, including Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman from NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency will participate in the flight, becoming the first crew to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
According to NASA, the purpose of the mission is to “explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.”
The lead Artemis II flight director, Jeff Radigan explained that the nature of the flight, "They're going at least 5,000 nautical miles (9,200Km) past the Moon, which is much higher than previous missions have gone.”
In recent development, NASA has introduced a new class of astronauts to pursue future exploration missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars after completing two years of training.
The names of 2025 24th astronaut class are:
In lunar exploration, China is competing head-to-head with the US to win the space race.
Recently, China has hit a new milestone by completing its first lunar lander test, taking it one step closer to achieving a manned mission on the Moon by 2030.
Additionally, China has continued to accomplish the major milestones without any significant delays. The achievements include mapping the record-breaking lunar surface, building their own supersized rockets, and bringing back historic lunar samples to Earth.
The successful lander test will help China in its space exploration, including transporting astronauts and supplies between the Moon's orbit and Earth.
According to a new report titled “Redshift” published on September 16, China can outcompete the US in the new space race and become the world’s leading space-faring country in just 5 to 10 years.
The stark warning came against the backdrop of China’s growing solar system exploration capabilities and cutting-edge space infrastructure.
NASA’s Artemis missions have recently experienced several setbacks, including issues with SpaceX’s temperamental Starship rocket.
China is also planning to construct its own Lunar base equipped with a fully functional and autonomous nuclear reactor by 2035.