The ten day Artemis II mission started April 1, 2026, with the rocket lifting off at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, located in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The team of astronauts are expected to orbit the moon in their Orion capsule then return.
The team includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. They were chosen from a group of 20 astronauts after going through a secretive, high-level process at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. All four of them were chosen for their experience and skill.
One of the astronauts, Christina Koch is a three-time graduate from NC State who earned one Master and two Bachelors of Science degrees in 2001 and 2002.
The Artemis crew also surprised their commander with naming a moon crater after his late wife, Carroll Wiseman, who died in 2020 after a five year fight against cancer.
The mission’s purpose is to validate critical systems like life support systems and other things necessary to sustain astronauts in deeper space. To many, this mission is an important step towards a more advanced future.
Sophomore Maddie Edwards said, “Throughout time, there’ll be new technologies and such, and then you can just expand further into space and get to know more about it.”
While in space, the crew is testing equipment, and preparing for their return. These tests’ primary purpose is to validate the Orion spacecraft’s life-support, navigation, and heat shield systems with the astronauts on board.
On April 8, the crew hosted a media call with NASA. On the call they described their view of space and close-up observations of the moon’s far side. The crew is set to arrive back on Earth on April 10. When the crew returns, they will fall into the water off the coast of San Diego. They will be retrieved by the U.S. Navy recovery teams and USS John P. Murtha within about two hours after they arrive.
