The four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission left Earth’s orbit on Thursday and set off towards the Moon, which they will circle in a few days, a feat that has not been accomplished for more than half a century. Follow his journey live.
With this great push, Artémis II becomes the first manned flight to head towards the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972, the human presence having in the meantime been limited to the immediate surroundings of the Earth, mainly the International Space Station (ISS).
Located more than 384,000 kilometers away, the Moon is 1,000 times further from Earth than the ISS and it will take three to four days to reach it. They will not land there, but will circle around it, passing behind its hidden side on Monday before returning to Earth on April 10.
No going back
During this journey, the crew, which is the first on a lunar flight to include a woman, a person of color and a non-American, will break a record by becoming the one to have ventured the furthest into space.
Their trajectory was determined so that the spacecraft would be attracted to the Moon, then return straight to Earth, without additional propulsion.
An ingenious calculation, but restrictive, because once the great push has been initiated, there is no going back, Orion having to go to the Moon before being able to return to Earth.
In the event of a major problem such as depressurization or a leak in the cabin, the astronauts would have to put on their suits, designed to ensure their survival for six days.
Their mission should pave the way for the Americans to return to lunar soil in 2028, before the end of Donald Trump’s second term.
NASA’s objective this time is to build a base near the lunar south pole, where no man has ever been, and to use these lunar missions to prepare future flights to Mars.
A complex and expensive undertaking which is under pressure from China, which also aims to walk on the Moon by 2030.
