Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science and Technology
Why in News?
NASA’s Artemis II crew has arrived at Kennedy Space Center as final preparations proceed for the first crewed lunar mission.
Mission name – Artemis II.
Mission type – Crewed lunar flyby (translunar loop and return).
Crew Size– 4.
Launch vehicle – Space Launch System (SLS).
Launched by - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Launch Site - Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Crew capsule – Orion.
Scheduled to launch on–April 1, 2026.
Mission Duration – 10 days.
It will be the first crewed mission to the Moon’s vicinity since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Primary objective –Validate crewed operations, life‑support, navigation, communications, and re‑entry systems in deep space with humans aboard.
Technical and Operational Details
Trajectory - Orion will follow a "hybrid free-return trajectory," looping around the Moon and using Earth’s gravity to pull it back home.
Distance -The crew will travel roughly 4,700 miles (7,600 km) beyond the far side of the Moon, making them the humans who have ventured farthest into deep space.
Deep-space Testing - Life‑support and environmental control, radiation monitoring, deep‑space navigation and communications, Orion heat‑shield performance under crewed re‑entry conditions.
Risk and contingency - Abort modes, alternate splashdown sites, search and rescue coordination and medical evacuation protocols.
