After more than 50 years, humans return to the moon: the expedition and test of "Artemis II"

China News Service, Beijing, April 2 — (Reporter Ma Shuaisha) Local time April 1, the new-generation American lunar rocket “Space Launch System”( SLS) took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying out the 10-day “Artemis 2” mission, kicking off a crewed flyby around the Moon. This marks the first time human beings have flown to the Moon since 1972.

If the “Apollo program” addressed “whether humans could reach the Moon,” then amid the new round of lunar-exploration boom, the “Artemis” program is designed to answer “how to exist for the long term.” It aims to drive humanity’s return to the Moon and establish a long-term base, serving as a “springboard” for future Mars missions.

This “Artemis 2” mission is the first crewed flight under the program. Its goal is to send 4 astronauts to a free-return trajectory and fly past the far side of the Moon.

According to the plan, after the “Orion” spacecraft flies around Earth in a large elliptical orbit for one day, it will head for the Moon. After completing a “turnaround” around the Moon, it will return to Earth, ultimately performing a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. During the journey, when the spacecraft is farthest from Earth, it will be more than 400,000 kilometers away, with the potential to set a new record for the longest human flight distance.

Along this flight path, the “Artemis 2” mission needs to overcome multiple hurdles. Spaceflight experts interviewed noted that most lunar missions send spacecraft into an Earth–Moon transfer orbit directly by rocket. In this mission, the “Orion” spacecraft needs to fly around Earth for one day and then, near the perigee, rely on its own engines to raise its orbital altitude and enter an Earth–Moon transfer orbit, which is a major challenge for the spacecraft.

Another major test comes from safety risks during the return phase. This is the first crewed flight mission for the “Orion” spacecraft. In the 2022 uncrewed Artemis 1 flight test, during the “Orion” spacecraft’s return, the bottom heat shield experienced a problem of material shedding.

Taking into account the high costs and time required for equipment replacement, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration( NASA) chose to adjust the spacecraft’s flight trajectory to shorten the time the spacecraft is exposed to the hazardous hot environment. The performance of the heat shield is crucial for protecting astronauts from the effects of extreme high temperatures when reentering the atmosphere. NASA’s solution once sparked controversy and dissatisfaction. Experts interviewed pointed out that although NASA conducted ground demonstrations and tests in the early stage for the proposal, it still needs to be validated by real-world operations.

Some believe that a heat shield abnormality is a major warning, and the lessons from past space shuttle accidents such as Challenger and Columbia should be fully absorbed. In order to “catch up on schedule,” the U.S. failed to fundamentally address the heat shield hazard.

In fact, since the “Artemis” program began running, it has been plagued by cost overruns, schedule delays, and technical issues.

“Artemis 2” was originally planned to be implemented in February, but due to technical problems during two comprehensive rehearsals, the launch time was postponed repeatedly.

After the mission was delayed, at the end of February NASA announced an adjustment to its Artemis lunar landing plan. The U.S. originally planned to carry out the crewed Artemis 3 lunar landing mission in 2027, but under the latest arrangement, Artemis 3 will perform rendezvous and docking verification between the “Orion” spacecraft and a commercial lunar lander. The crewed lunar landing mission was adjusted to Artemis 4, planned for implementation in 2028.

Just last week, NASA also announced an adjustment to its lunar exploration strategy, planning to pause the existing “Gateway” lunar-orbit space station project and instead advance lunar base construction in three phases.

Experts interviewed believe that this adjustment directly changes the core architecture of the Artemis plan. The “Gateway” project has long been heavily criticized for schedule slippage and severe cost overruns. Canceling the lunar-orbit space station as a transfer step will concentrate resources on building on the lunar surface, reflecting NASA’s practical trade-offs between cost control and time schedule. However, judging from current technological progress, whether a crewed lunar landing can be achieved in 2028 still remains uncertain. (End)

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