Daijiworld Media Network – Florida

Florida, Jan 18: NASA’s Artemis II mission, which will carry four astronauts around the Moon, reached its launch pad on Saturday evening at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The integrated Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Launch Pad 39B just before 7 p.m., completing a nearly 12-hour, 4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The mission’s crew includes NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The spacecraft will first orbit Earth before traveling around the Moon on a journey expected to last about 10 days.

“The architecture you see behind us here with SLS and the Orion spacecraft is just the beginning,” NASA Director Jared Isaacman said. “Launching missions like this will help us learn and evolve, enabling repeatable, affordable trips to and from the Moon.”

The lunar launch could take place as early as February 6, depending on readiness. Artemis II follows the original Artemis mission in 2022, which sent a crewless craft into space. Isaacman emphasized that the mission aims to fulfill NASA’s promise to return Americans to the Moon and inspire future generations of astronauts.