Artemis II: astronauts get glimpse of their spacecraft as Nasa provides updates on the mission

Nasa's Artemis II lunar mission will send the first astronauts around the moon in nearly 50 years. 

In an update, Nasa held a press conference on 8 August to reveal what the mission will entail.

The mission, which is due to launch in 2024, will see four astronauts partake in an eight-day mission where the flight will "test Nasa's foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts and will pave the way for lunar surface missions, including landing the first woman and first person of colour on the moon", the space agency said.

The Artemis II crew will fly Orion beyond the moon before completing a lunar flyby and returning to Earth - and marks Nasa's first crewed moon mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Who are the four astronauts?

The mission will send three Nasa astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut around the moon on a free-return trajectory.

They are: 

• Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman
• Artemis II pilot Victor Glover
• Artemis II mission specialist Christina Hammock Koch 
• Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen

The four astronauts got their first look at their spacecraft on Tuesday (8 August). “Nothing else looks like that … that’s what gave me shivers,” astronaut Christina Koch told reporters.

What is the Artemis II mission?

On their flight aboard Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, they will venture around the moon. 

Their mission is to confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. The Artemis II flight test will be Nasa’s first mission with crew and will pave the way to land the first woman and next man on the Moon on Artemis III. Building on those early missions, Nasa’s Artemis program will return humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and future missions to worlds beyond, including Mars.

“The unique Artemis II mission profile will build upon the uncrewed Artemis I flight test by demonstrating a broad range of SLS and Orion capabilities needed on deep space missions,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager. “This mission will prove Orion’s critical life support systems are ready to sustain our astronauts on longer duration missions ahead and allow the crew to practise operations essential to the success of Artemis III.”