Why NASA Never Returned to the Moon, even with SpaceX Starship…
It feels like forever since humans last walked on the Moon. Despite landing 12 people on the lunar surface—arguably NASA’s greatest achievement—it seems incredibly difficult to do it again. Why is that? There are reasons why NASA has taken so long to aim for the Moon once more. So let’s take a look at what caused the delay—and ask the big question: This time, can they really pull off something they last did over 50 years ago?
If you’ve been following NASA’s Artemis program, here’s something to get excited about: the Artemis 2 mission — the first crewed flight to the Moon in over 5 decades —might be launching earlier than expected!
The upcoming Artemis 2 mission could launch as early as February 5, according to mission managers who spoke during a press briefing on September 23 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Why NASA Never Returned to the Moon, even with SpaceX Starship…
“We together have a front-row seat to history: We’re returning to the Moon after over 50 years,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development.
If the mission does launch on February 5, it’ll be a nighttime liftoff. NASA also has backup launch windows in February, March, and April — with April 26 being the latest possible date. But the agency is aiming for the earlier part of that window.
Of course, Hawkins emphasized that crew safety comes first. “As we finish stacking the rocket and get through our final checks, we’re making sure everything is done the right way — and safely,” she said.
So, what is Artemis 2 actually doing?
Why NASA Never Returned to the Moon, even with SpaceX Starship…
This mission won’t land on the Moon — not yet. Instead, the crew will fly aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — a towering launch vehicle built for deep-space exploration — and ride in the Orion spacecraft on a “free-return” trajectory. This means the capsule will loop around the Moon and head back to Earth without entering lunar orbit or landing.
Commanding the mission is NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, with Victor Glover serving as pilot. Mission specialists include Christina Koch (NASA) and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency), marking a historic international collaboration.
Credit to : Space Zone
