Nasa holds briefing ahead of Artemis II launch: live updates

Rebecca Morelle
Science editor

The Artemis I mission took place in 2022, and saw Nasa’s
mega moon rocket – the Space Launch System – and the Orion capsule fly for the
first time on a 25 day mission around the Moon.

But there were no humans onboard.

For Artemis II, astronauts are very much at the front and
centre of the mission.

The crew will be the first people to fly in the SLS and
Orion as they travel around the Moon. Their mission will last about 10 days.

The plans for Artemis III have recently been overhauled by
Nasa. It was supposed to see astronauts land on the lunar surface and was
scheduled for 2028.

Instead the crew will stay closer to home – and in 2027
they’ll fly on Orion to low-Earth orbit and test docking with a lunar lander.

Artemis IV and V will now become lunar landing missions –
and Nasa says its aiming for both to happen in 2028.

However this is an ambitious timeline. A lander has to be
selected, built and tested, and there are delays with the spacesuit that the
future Moonwalkers will wear.

In later Artemis missions there are plans for a lunar space
station called Gateway that will orbit around the Moon, as well as the
construction of a Moon base.