To the moon and back: NASA names Artemis II crew
To the moon and back: NASA names Artemis II crew
A team of four is set to undertake an adventurous lunar mission in 2025
06 April 23
Humans have not set foot on the moon since the completion of the Apollo space program in 1972.
Despite numerous trips to space in the intervening years, including unmanned missions, humans have not visited the moon in over 50 years. However, this is set to change as NASA work towards the Artemis voyage, in 2025.
Chosen from a qualified and experienced panel of over 40 astronauts, the Artemis II crew is made up of a group of ‘firsts’. Veteran astronaut Christina Koch is the first woman in history to be assigned to a lunar mission, while Victor Glover will be the first black man to journey to the moon. Jeremy Hansen, the mission’s pilot, will be Canada’s first citizen to reach the moon and the commander of the Artemis II mission is a veteran astro-voyager who once spent 165 days living and working on the International Space Station.
According to the famous US space agency, the Artemis II mission will aim to create a ‘long-term presence on the moon for science and exploration’. It is hoped that the crew will be able to establish a lunar base camp that can be used for future annual missions, in the hope that this will increase knowledge and understanding of the atmosphere and environment that may lead to humans eventually reaching Mars.
The initial Artemis II mission will take place in 2025 and take place over the course of ten days. The flight will test the capabilities of humans to 'live and work in deep space'.
As always, Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of discovery, and this is also true for space exploration.
Almost 40 years ago, in 1985, Saudia Arabia sent the first Arab – Prince Sultan bin Salman – to space.
And, in May 2023, the Kingdom will send the first Saudi female astronaut – Rayyanah Barnawi – to space. Barnawi will not only be the first Saudi female national to travel to space, but she will also be the first Arab woman to travel beyond Earth.
Barnawi will travel to the International Space Station (ISS), alongside fellow Saudi astronaut Ali Al Qarni. Together this pair of talented space explorers will be the first Saudi nationals to spend time on the ISS. They will be joined by two other international astronauts on this journey, and the crew will blast off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre.
The Saudi Space Commission said of the mission, “This flight is an integral milestone of a comprehensive program aiming to train and qualify experienced Saudis to undertake human spaceflight, conduct scientific experiments, participate in international research, and future space-related missions contributing to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”
As part of the AX-2 program, the crew will work on the Axiom Station, which is set to be the successor space component of the current ISS. The crew of four will spend ten days living and working on the orbiting laboratory and workstation.
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