NASA Plans to Launch Uncrewed Flights Around Moon
The Orion capsule will be launched by the Space Launch System, reopening the opportunity for people to walk on the moon again.
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Artemis I: To the moon.
NASA has confirmed plans to conduct an uncrewed mission around the Moon in February 2022, opening the way for astronauts to return to the Moon.
The US space agency announced on Friday that it was in the final phase of testing its Orion capsule, which will be launched into orbit around the Moon by the Space Launch System rocket.
Orion was fastened to the 98-meter (322-foot) rocket earlier this week, according to NASA.
Artemis 1 - the planned uncrewed test flight - will "pave the way for a future flight test with crew" before "more complex missions with astronauts on and around the Moon," according to NASA.
“Artemis 1 will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond before the first flight with crew on Artemis 2,” it said.
"With stacking complete, a series of integrated tests now sits between the mega-Moon rocket and targeted liftoff for deep space in February 2022," the agency said in a statement.
It is worth noting that the SLS rocket has been under construction since 2011 and is set to launch the Orion spaceship that will take astronauts into deep space, including the Moon and Mars.
