John Paul M. Joaquin Science 03.10.2023 00:Mar AM EST

NASA To Reveal Artemis 2 Astronauts in April

NASA is taking another step towards returning to the moon.

The space agency recently announced it would soon reveal the next four astronauts it would send into space for its Artemis 2 mission.

NASA has been preparing what it needs following the successful conclusion of its uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in mid-December 2022.

NASA Artemis 2 Mission Astronauts Reveal Details

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson revealed in his "State of NASA" Address that the space agency will announce the four astronauts that will go on its Artemis 2 mission.

Though Nelson didn't give the identities of the astronauts outright during his address, he mentioned that three of the astronauts would come from the US, and one would come from Canada. These four will test NASA's space launch system rocket (SLS) and Orion spacecraft's many capabilities for the Artemis Mission's first crewed mission.

You may remember that the Artemis 1 mission was uncrewed to help NASA determine if its SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft could survive the rigors of the launch sequence and be in space for prolonged periods.

Additionally, Nelson stated that NASA would reveal the next-generation space suits Axiom Space developed for the Artemis 3 mission on Mar. 15. These spacesuits will be the ones NASA's astronauts will wear when they set foot on the Moon's surface again for the first time since 1972, during Apollo 17, the last mission that put humanity on the moon, per Encyclopedia Britannica.

For those unaware, Artemis 3 is the follow-up mission to Artemis 2 that will put humanity back on the surface of the moon. NASA means to bring the first woman and first person of color to the moon during this mission.

According to Space.com, NASA is currently targeting to launch its Artemis 2 mission, which it expects to last ten days, in Nov. 2024.

NASA Artemis 2 Preparation Details

Though the space agency has yet to give further details on Artemis 2, it did previously mention that its facilities are ready for it. NASA had already gathered, assessed, and eventually released after the launch of its Artemis 1 mission, showing that its SLS rocket performed exceptionally and it is ready to support its next mission.

John Blevins, SLS chief engineer, mentioned that the data NASA got back from the Artemis 1 mission is critical in building confidence in the rocket to send humanity back to the moon. He added that the data NASA gathered would help improve the rocket's future flights, with them using it to streamline future missions.

Should Artemis 2 be a success, NASA will proceed with Artemis 3, which NSA plans to launch in 2025 if everything goes well. However, the Artemis program doesn't stop there.

Aside from bringing humanity back to the moon, NASA's Artemis program also aims to bring humanity farther than the moon and deeper into space, with Mars being one of the targets of the Artemis mission.