Artemis II to the Moon Launch to Splashdown (NASA Mission Animation)

The Artemis II mission, slated to launch early 2026, will fly four astronauts around the Moon. This mission will last for about 10 days and will be the first crewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Florida needed to support them.

What is said in the film

NASA's Artemis II is the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. Four astronauts will venture around the Moon, preparing humanity for a long-term lunar presence for scientific discovery and exploration. The 10-day test flight will demonstrate a range of deep space exploration capabilities with crew. The mission will prove the Orion spacecraft is ready to keep astronauts alive in deep space and allow the crew and ground teams to practice operations essential to the success of future missions. On launch day, the Artemis II suits up, undergoes final checks, and rides in the crew transportation vehicles to Launchpad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Stacked on the mobile launcher, NASA's 322-foot-tall SLS, or Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft awaits the crew, having made its 4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building on the crawler transporter to the pad. The launch team fills the SLS propellant tanks with over 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and verifies guidance, communications, and avionics. At 12 seconds before liftoff, the hydrogen burn-off igniters fire. About 6 seconds later, the rocket's four RS-25 engines ignite. When the countdown reaches zero, the umbilicals retract, giving SLS and the crew in Orion the clearance to begin the journey.

The 6 million-pound Moon rocket produces 8. 8 million pounds of thrust to accelerate towards space. 75% of this power comes from the two 17-story solid rocket boosters, each producing 3. 6 million pounds of thrust. About two minutes in, the boosters are released, their solid propellant consumed.

The core stage and its RS-25 engines continue to propel Orion and the crew to space. After three minutes, the protective fairings surrounding Orion's service module are ejected, exposing its solar arrays. 6 seconds later, the launch abort system is ejected from Orion. The crew has safely reached Earth orbit, though they could still abort using service module engines. About eight minutes after launch, the SLS core stage engines shut down and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, or ICPS, and Orion separate from the core stage.

Orion and the ICPS are now flying free. Orion's four solar arrays deploy, powering the spacecraft and charging its batteries for when it moves out of direct sunlight during the journey to the Moon and back. After a 90-minute orbit, the engine of the rocket's upper stage, or ICPS, ignites to raise Orion to a high Earth orbit. The Artemis II crew and mission control in Houston then began a nearly 24-hour systems check while the astronauts are still relatively close to Earth, familiarizing themselves with their new home for the next several days. Once in high-Earth orbit, Orion separates from the upper stage.

The expended ICPS and Orion stage adapter serve as a target for a manual handling test called the proximity operations demonstration, preparing future crews for rendezvous, docking, and undocking with other spacecraft. During the demonstration, Artemis II astronauts use cameras and line of sight through Orion's windows to pilot the spacecraft as they approach and back away, assessing Orion's handling qualities, hardware and software. Following the demonstration, spacecraft data is collected to verify system performance such as life support, communications, and navigation, ensuring Orion and the crew are ready for the voyage ahead. About 23 hours later, Orion's service module performs the translunar injection burn, or TLI, pushing Orion out of Earth orbit and on an approximately 4-day trip to the Moon. Ultimately, the crew's figure-eight flight path extends more than 230,000 miles from Earth.

During the trip, the astronauts continue to evaluate the spacecraft's systems and practice emergency procedures, like testing the radiation shelter. The Artemis II crew travels about 4,600 miles beyond the Moon, becoming the first humans to lay eyes on the lunar far side in over 50 years. Their observations will help us prepare for future Missions at the Moon. During this period, there will be an anticipated communication blackout between mission control and the spacecraft. As the crew returns from the far side of the Moon, Orion is drawn home by Earth's gravity in a free return trajectory, ensuring a fuel efficient fuel-efficient four-day trip.

Before entering the atmosphere, Orion's crew module separates from the service module. Twelve thrusters ensure Orion is properly oriented at an altitude of about 75 miles from Earth's surface. Orion and the crew enter Earth's atmopshere at a speed of nearly 25,000 miles per hour. Decelerating at a rate up to four times the force of gravity, the crew will feel four times heavier than they do on Earth. Orion's heat shield protects the spacecraft from temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, about half as hot as the surface of the Sun.

To slow its descent, Orion begins a precise deployment sequence of 11 parachutes. Three forward bay cover parachutes first separate the protective thermal cover that sits over the chutes. Two drogues slow and stabilize the crew module, then cut free. Three pilot chutes lift the three main parachutes, deployed at an altitude of 9,000 feet and traveling 130 miles per hour. These chutes slow the crew module to a speed of less than 20 miles per hour.

After traveling more than 595,000 nautical miles, Orion splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, about 50 nautical miles from the California coast, just 16 minutes after entering Earth's atmosphere. After splashdown, a recovery team that includes the US Navy Air Force and NASA approaches Orion. The team ensures it's safe for the crew to exit before divers help the astronauts onto an inflatable front porch, hoist them into helicopters, and fly to the recovery ship. Orion is towed into the ship for its return to Kennedy Space Center. Their mission complete, the crew is flown back to land and step on solid ground for the first time in 10 days.

This is Artemis II. Learn more about Artemis at nasa. gov/Artemis.

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