NASA Begins Fuelling Artemis II Rocket for First Crewed Lunar Mission in Five Decades
NASA has commenced fuelling its moon rocket for humanity's first lunar trip in over half a century, aiming for an evening lift-off with four astronauts. This mission, Artemis II, will see three Americans and one Canadian fly around the moon without stopping, setting a new distance record for human space travel by zooming 6,400 km beyond the moon. Tensions were high during fuelling due to past hydrogen leaks that caused flight delays. The launch team needs to load over 2.6 million litres of fuel into the 32-story Space Launch System rocket before the crew boards. Astronauts last flew to the moon during Apollo 17 in 1972.
Key Points
- NASA has begun fuelling its moon rocket for the Artemis II mission, marking the first crewed lunar trip in over 50 years.
- The mission will involve four astronauts (three Americans, one Canadian) flying around the moon without landing.
- Artemis II aims to set a new distance record for human space travel, going 6,400 km beyond the moon.
- Fuelling operations faced challenges due to previous hydrogen leaks, which caused flight delays.
- The last human lunar mission was Apollo 17 in 1972.
Exam Facts
- The mission is named Artemis II.
- It involves four astronauts (three Americans, one Canadian).
- The rocket is the 32-story Space Launch System.
- Astronauts last flew to the moon during Apollo 17 in 1972.
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