NASA Sets Date For First Manned Mission to the Moon in Over 50 Years

NASA has confirmed that it is sending people to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

On Friday, January 9, the space agency confirmed the Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) could travel to the moon as early as Friday, February 6. Because the launch window relies on very specific conditions at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, it may take place any time between that date and February 11.

Although the mission will take astronauts closer to the moon than anyone has been since Apollo 17 in 1972, they are not planning to touch down on the lunar surface. Instead, Artemis II’s mission is simply to gather data to inform NASA on how to facilitate future manned space missions and safely prepare for new exploration and more long-term missions to the moon.

The 10-day mission will be manned by Reid Wiseman, the ship’s commander; Victor Glover, the pilot; Christina Koch, the mission specialist; and Jeremy Hansen, another mission specialist.

In addition to offering medical and life-support data, the crew will be testing out the SLS’ navigation power and propulsion systems so that future missions can run smoothly.

The BBC reports that NASA is planning a moon landing with the Artemis III mission, which is currently scheduled to depart no earlier than 2027 with 2028 being the most likely earliest possible date according to experts.