What Lies Beyond Artemis 2? These Other Missions Are Sett...

What’s Happening

Listen up: As the historic lunar flyby comes to a close, space companies and nations around the world are also shooting for the moon.

Upcoming landings aim to change the landscape of space exploration What Lies Beyond Artemis 2? These Other Missions Are Setting Their Sights on the Moon This Year—and on a Future With Humans in Space As the historic lunar fly a close, space companies and nations around the world are also shooting for the moon. (shocking, we know)

From the perspective of the Orion spacecraft, seen at left, the moon eclipsed the sun on April 6.

The Details

NASA After rounding the moon , viewing a solar eclipse and traveling farther than any human had before , the four astronauts of Artemis 2—the first manned lunar mission in more than five decades—will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere tomorrow. Beyond those milestones, the mission represents a step toward establishing a long-term human presence in space and sets up the moon as a lens for considering the future of exploration.

“The moon is definitely where it’s at,” says Robert Braun , an aerospace engineer and the head of the Space Exploration Sector at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. Much will happen there in the next five years, he adds, to prepare it as a base for larger ventures to come.

Why This Matters

“If you’re interested in the moon, this is a solid time to be alive. ” Although the Artemis 2 astronauts did not land on the lunar surface, their mission has taken them on a figure-eight flight around Earth’s natural satellite, marking the Orion spacecraft ’s first trip with human occupants. With an eye on the future, Braun says, Artemis 2 “tests the systems that are needed to send humans into deep space.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

Key Takeaways

• Artemis 2 s astronauts reached about 252,756 miles from Earth on April 6.
• Underscoring that long-term aim, NASA just just dropped that it would accelerate the launches for its Artemis program.

The Bottom Line

Artemis 2 s astronauts reached about 252,756 miles from Earth on April 6. Underscoring that long-term aim, NASA just just dropped that it would accelerate the launches for its Artemis program.

Are you here for this or nah?