NASA is in its final leg of preparations for its much-hyped Artemis 2 lunar mission and in a recent update about the same has said that it will reveal the names of the astronauts in the crewed mission on April 3.
Artemis 2 is the second scheduled mission of NASA’s Artemis program, and the first scheduled crewed mission of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, currently planned to be launched by the Space Launch System in November 2024. The mission is the first step in establishing a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.
It will test Orion’s life support systems and demonstrate the necessary skills to operate in deep space.
The mission will involve sending four astronauts on a journey that spans over two million kilometres. The names of the individuals who will be participating in the mission will be unveiled by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency at around 11 am EDT on April 3.
During the preparation of Artemis 1, NASA conducted tests on the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket. The goal of Artemis 2 is to send four individuals on a mission to the Moon, which will be the first mission dedicated to sending humans to the lunar surface since the Apollo program.
The crew capsule of the mission, which is known as the Orion, will orbit the Moon before returning to Earth. The rocket components for the Artemis 2 mission are currently undergoing various phases of testing and production.