ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA’s Artemis II mission is currently traveling toward the moon, marking the first time a crew has made the journey in more than 50 years. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Central Florida aboard the Space Launch System, the agency’s newest deep space rocket.
The mission serves as the first crewed flight for the Space Launch System, or SLS. Within minutes of liftoff, the rocket blasted through Earth’s atmosphere, reaching speeds of 17,500 mph toward its path around the moon.
Sharon Cobb serves as the associate program manager for the SLS program. She watched the liftoff from the Florida coast as the rocket began its journey. "First I held my breath ... after I got past that, it was just pure excitement," Cobb said.
The SLS successfully sent the Orion crew capsule to into space. Cobb noted that the rocket’s performance was precise during the initial launch phase. “We ended up positioning the Orion crew capsule within 99.989% of the target,” Cobb said.
The flight plan involves traveling significantly deeper into space than previous human flights. The spacecraft is designed to use the moon’s gravity to assist its return to Earth, which provides an extra layer of safety for the crew. “We’ll be going around 4,700 miles farther than we’ve ever been before,” Cobb said. “And by capturing the gravity of the moon and having it sling us... back.”
While the crew is in orbit, they will document a brand new perspective of the lunar landscape. “They’ll also be taking pictures when they go to the far side of the moon, places that human eyes have never seen before,” Cobb said.
The mission is intended to lead to sustained operations on the lunar surface. Cobb said the work will eventually allow NASA to establish a permanent presence to prepare for future exploration.
"And at that point, we'll be able to start constructing habitats and a lunar base that will allow us to learn how to live and work in that environment," Cobb said. "From that, we'll able to send humans to Mars."