The American space agency NASA has announced the names of four astronauts who are expected to fly around the moon in 2024 as part of the Artemis-2 mission (Artemis-2).
As reported on the NASA website, the month-long mission included three Americans Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reed Wiseman, as well as Canadian Jeremy Hansen.
NASA stressed that the four astronauts will be the first people to fly to the moon in more than 50 years. In addition, the crew of the month-long mission will include a woman, an African American and a Canadian for the first time, the space agency said.
The flight to the Moon will take place no earlier than November 2024. The Artemis 2 mission is expected to last ten days. After the launch of the second stage of the space launch vehicle, the SLS (Space Launch System) will launch the Orion spacecraft into an elliptical orbit, which will pass at an altitude of up to 2900 km above the Earth, writes The New York Times. Then Orion will approach the Moon, but will not enter its orbit, but instead, using lunar gravity, will return to Earth.
In December 2022, the Artemis-1 mission ended, during which the Orion spacecraft flew to the Moon in a test unmanned mode, spent several weeks in its orbit and returned to Earth.
Not earlier than 2025, the Artemis-3 mission will take place, during which astronauts plan to land on the surface of the moon.
Source: Racurs
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