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Artemis II begins crewed mission around the Moon
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Toilet trouble, telemetry problems, and an issue with the flight termination system have not marred the Artemis II mission to the Moon, which launched yesterday.
Key facts
- Liftoff took place at 22:35:12 UTC after several snags during an otherwise trouble-free count
- NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said that Artemis III, which will test lunar landing technology, will go ahead in 2027, and the Artemis IV landing is planned for 2028
- The four-person crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, was sent into orbit during the first launch
- Splashdown is planned for April 11, after which focus will turn to Artemis III and the lunar landing mission, Artemis IV
Summary
The four-person crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, was sent into orbit during the first launch opportunity on April 1. The crew was packed into the Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, a few hours before launch. In the closing minutes of the countdown, controllers reported a brief telemetry dropout, but the duration was within allowable limits. While a bathroom issue would have been unlikely to halt the mission – backup plans exist for such an eventuality – troublesome toilets have long been a feature of human spaceflight.