ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA mission managers said Artemis II is targeting November 2024 as it goes through issues found from the Artemis I mission including an unexpected heat shield performance during the 5,000-degree reentry.
The uncrewed Artemis I flight saw the successful launch of the Space Launch System rocket on Nov. 16 becoming the most powerful rocket to ever bring a payload to space. It sent the Orion capsule on a 25 1/2-day mission to orbit the moon traveling 1.4 million miles before its return to Earth on Dec. 11 coming in faster than any previous human-rated spacecraft at 24,500 mph.
Artemis II, though, looks to put humans on board the Orion capsule, and just how well the spacecraft can keep its passengers safe is at the top of NASA’s concerns.