NASA's 1st Human Mission In 50 Years Will Not Land On The Moon
9 Jan 2026 1:27 PM IST9 Jan 2026 1:27 PM IST
Lead Artemis II flight director, Jeff Radigan explained that the crew would be flying further into space than anyone had been before & perform a Lunar Flyby.
Images Source: NASA X Account
NASA's Artemis 2 mission will see four astronauts go on a ten-day round trip to the Moon and back to the Earth, becoming the first humans to venture near the Moon in more than 50 years since NASA's Apollo trip.
However, the astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, will not land on the Moon, though they will be the first crew to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The lead Artemis II flight director, Jeff Radigan, explained that the crew would be flying further into space than anyone had before and would perform a "Lunar Flyby.
"They're going at least 5,000 nautical miles (9,200Km km) past the Moon, which is much higher than previous missions have gone,"
The mission aims to test the rocket and spacecraft's systems to lay the ground for a lunar landing.
The astronauts will enter the Orion capsule, which will be their home for the duration of their journey. They will reach a point about 10,300 km (6,400 miles) beyond the far side of the Moon. This will take them further into space than any human has ever traveled.
Currently scheduled for early 2026 (targeted for February), the mission will last approximately 10 days from launch to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean
This will be carried initially into Earth orbit with the help of two solid rocket boosters, which will fall back to Earth two minutes after launch once they have done the heavy lifting.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle with agency inputs )
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