CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is preparing to send humans back toward the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
The multi-billion dollar mission, called Artemis II, is set to launch Wednesday. The 10-day journey will cover roughly 600,000 miles as the crew tests critical systems before an actual moon landing.
The four-person crew includes three Americans and one Canadian. They say they understand the weight of the mission and are prepared for launch.
“How do we feel as the people that can call the moon the destination, a destination, not just something we’re looking at, and it is our strong hope that this mission is the start of an era where everyone, every person on Earth can look at the moon and think of it as also a destination,” astronaut Christina Koch said.
Commander Reid Wiseman said that Artemis II is a test flight and the crew is prepared for potential delays.
“Just to remind everyone, this is a test flight. This is the first time we’re going to try this. This is the first time we’re loading humans on board, and I will tell you, the 4 of us, we are ready to go. The team is ready to go and the vehicle is ready to go. But not for one second do we have an expectation that we are going. We will go when this vehicle tells us it’s ready and when the team is ready to go. So, uh, we, we might go out to the pad and we might have to try again a few more times, and we are 100% ready for that,” Wiseman said.
The mission will circle the moon but will not land on its surface. Instead, it serves as a pathfinder for Artemis III, which is expected to touch down near the moon’s largely unexplored south pole.
NASA plans to eventually build a base at that location. The agency has described the Artemis lunar exploration program as a stepping stone for exploring deeper into the cosmos.