More than half a century after NASAs final Apollo mission, astronauts prepared Wednesday to but this time, they will not land.
Instead, will fly past the moon on a 10-day mission, traveling farther into space than any humans since the Apollo era.
The mission is designed as a crewed lunar flyby, a critical test of NASAs deep-space systems before attempting future landings, according to NASA.
Launched aboard the Space Launch System rocket, the will first enter Earth’s orbit before following a precise path known as a “free-return” trajectory.
Scientists said the route uses the combined gravitational forces of Earth and the moon to carry the spacecraft around the far side of the moon and safely back home without requiring major course corrections.
Artemis II will mark the aboard both the Orion spacecraft and the SLS rocket, making it a key demonstration of NASAs human deep-space capabilities.
The mission will test how well work with astronauts on board, including navigation, life support and communication far from Earth.
It also will give NASA a better understanding of how crews operate during deep space travel, officials said.
Astronauts will take part in experiments during the flight, including one called A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response (AVATAR), which uses “organ-on-a-chip” technology to study how radiation and weightlessness affect the body.
NASA claims before attempting a moon landing on a future mission.Â
By proving the spacecraft and crew can safely travel to deep space and back, the mission moves the agency closer to returning humans to the lunar surface and eventually .
