Artemis II, a NASA spacecraft intended to carry a crew and approach the Moon, is slated to launch as early as the 1st of next month. With launches postponed in February and again this month due to technical issues, attention is on whether it can this time achieve the goal of ‘the first crewed lunar mission in 54 years’.

NASA said on the 12th (local time) at a press conference, “We will launch Artemis II from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as early as the 1st of next month.” NASA added that April 2-6 and 30 have been set as backup launch dates in case of equipment or weather issues.

Artemis II will carry four astronauts. The mission will last a total of 10 days and is expected to approach to within about 7400㎞ of the lunar surface.

Artemis II is significant as the first spacecraft since Apollo 17 in 1972 to carry people to the Moon. After the Apollo program ended, the Moon moved out of the focus of humanity, but as mineral resources on the lunar surface have recently come into the spotlight, it is drawing attention from the perspective of economic benefit. Because the Moon has gravity only one-sixth that of Earth, it is also being highlighted as a candidate site for building a space terminal to launch large rockets toward deep space.

This is not the first attempt to launch Artemis II. Originally targeted for February, the launch was pushed to this month after a hydrogen fuel leak. Then, when it was confirmed this month that helium was not flowing properly inside the Artemis II vehicle, the launch was postponed again.

NASA has determined that repairs to the problematic area are complete. NASA said, “On the 19th, Artemis II will be moved from the assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center to the launch pad.”

Through the Artemis II flight, NASA plans to verify the normal operation of systems such as life support. The aim is to check whether humans can travel to space and return safely. Next year, Artemis III will be placed in low Earth orbit to test space maneuvers such as a rendezvous. After that, in 2028, Artemis IV will launch to land astronauts on the lunar surface.