This month’s unmanned test flight to the moon: ‘rehearsal’

The launch date for this mission, Artemis I, has been tentatively set at 2:33 PM Dutch time on August 29. The NASA (US) and European Space Agency (European) space agency rocket will then depart from the Kennedy Space Center base in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was launch It has been postponed several times.

The trip takes six weeks

If the rocket fails to take off on August 29, the next options are September 2 and 5. The trip takes about six weeks in total. The ship should return to Earth in mid-October.

On the next test flight, Artemis II, people will be on board. They orbit the moon and then return to the earth. This mission is currently scheduled for May 2024.

The names of the astronauts have not yet been announced, but they are three people from the United States and one from Canada. Around 2025, the peak should follow the Artemis III mission, in which humans have once again set foot on the moon.

Twelve men on the moon

A man and a woman are supposed to stay at the south pole of the moon for about a week. Between 1969 and 1972, there were a total of 12 people, all men, on the moon.

The craft that goes to the moon is called Orion. The crew is in the forward section that the United States is building. The back of Europe. This part includes engines, oxygen, water, and temperature control.

Dutch solar panels

Electricity is generated on board the ship by solar panels from Leiden. In return, Europe will also receive three places at a later stage to send people to the Moon. It is not yet known who it will be.