NASA’s ‘Moonbound’ is worth a watch as you wait for Artemis II update
NASA recently dropped a trailer reminding folks about the documentary.
Moonbound Episode II: For All Humanity (Official NASA Trailer)
NASA had been hoping to launch four astronauts on a voyage around the moon in the Artemis II mission in February, but technical issues with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket forced the space agency to delay the much-hyped endeavor.
All being well, the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft carrying NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, together with the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, will roar away from the Kennedy Space Center launchpad in Florida next month.
To keep space fans happy during the wait, NASA recently posted a trailer (top) for its documentary series that builds up to the epic voyage.
Moonbound, which you can watch for free on NASA’s website, follows the Artemis II astronauts as they prepare for the historic mission that will send humans toward the moon for the first time in more than five decades.
The astronauts won’t touch down on the moon, but they will come within about 4,000 to 6,000 miles of the lunar surface before flying around the far side and returning home. The entire mission from launch to landing will take about 10 days.
“We’re at the point now where we are ready to go fly,” Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover says in the trailer. Jeremy Hansen adds: “I’m driven by the spirit of exploration. There’s just something about pushing the limits that really captures my passion.”
The recently installed NASA chief Jared Isaacman described the upcoming Artemis II mission as “a momentous step forward for human spaceflight,” adding: “This historic mission will send humans farther from Earth than ever before and deliver the insights needed for us to return to the moon … [the mission] represents progress toward establishing a lasting lunar presence and sending Americans to Mars.”
The target date for the highly anticipated lunar landing was recently shifted from 2027 to 2028 as part of the Artemis IV mission, while Artemis III will now function as a crewed test flight in low-Earth orbit.
Meanwhile, the Artemis II crew continues final training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as NASA continues to work toward launch opportunities in 2026, with April as the current target.
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
What’s the Artemis II crew doing while they wait for historic moon flight?
After several delays, the highly anticipated mission could launch in April.
As an astronaut, you have to prepare for all kinds of eventualities, whether it’s staying in orbit for nine months longer than expected due to problems with your spacecraft, or cutting short a space station mission due to a health emergency.
And if you’re one of the four Artemis II astronauts, you also need a great deal of composure as you wait patiently for NASA to ready your rocket for what will be the most significant crewed space flight in half a century.
Why this month’s Starship flight is SpaceX’s most important yet
There’s a lot to play for.
SpaceX is targeting this month for the 12th launch of its gargantuan Starship rocket, which comprises the first-stage Super Heavy booster and upper-stage Ship.
While much has rested on each and every one of its previous 11 test flights, the first of which took place in April 2023, the next launch is a big deal for the Elon Musk-led spaceflight company.
NASA won’t attempt a crewed lunar landing in 2027 after all
It’s all change for the Artemis program!
NASA has announced a major revision of its Artemis III mission, which had originally planned to put the first astronauts on the moon since 1972.
The space agency has now confirmed that it needs more time to prepare for the endeavor, and so Artemis III will instead test out systems and operational capabilities in low-Earth orbit to prepare for a crewed Artemis IV landing in 2028.
