Spacecraft that will take NASA back to the Moon

Next year, NASA astronauts will head to the Moon again as part of the Artemis II mission. The European Space Agency shared a photo of the four-person Orion spacecraft, which will perform the Artemis II mission, showing what it looks like before being exposed to conditions similar to the space environment.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which will carry out the Moon mission:

This vehicle, whose preparations are ongoing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will take humanity around the moon and accomplish a mission that has not been accomplished for more than 50 years.

The Artemis II mission will be carried out by NASA’s massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. This rocket will launch astronauts into orbit where they will take a tour around the moon. However, this time they will not land on the Moon. They will return to Earth and make a descent at a temperature of 5000 degrees. If this mission is successful, the Artemis III mission will be carried out in September 2026 and astronauts will land on the dusty surface of the Moon.

The Orion spacecraft consists of four main parts:

• Crew module: The part where astronauts will live during their space flights.
• Crew module adapter: This section connects the crew module to a key component called the European Service Module.
• Service Module: Orion’s power supply. It meets important needs such as electricity, propulsion, thermal control, air and water.
• Spacecraft adapter: This section connects Orion to the SLS rocket.

NASA has brought forward the date it planned to launch the Artemis II mission. This mission, originally planned for late 2024, was postponed to September 2025 to resolve some issues. NASA prioritizes crew safety above all else and therefore prefers safety over speed.

While the Artemis missions were successful, NASA’s goals differ slightly from those of the Apollo missions. This time, they aim to establish a permanent presence on and around the Moon. In addition, NASA aims to take scientists to the south pole of the Moon, where water ice is located. This could be a critical source of water and fuel for a potential lunar colony.

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