Artemis II Flight Booking: NASA Urges Public to Reserve ‘Boarding Passes
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NASA Invites Public to ‘Fly’ on Artemis II Moon Mission
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Published September 10, 2024, at 00:56:29 UTC
NASA is offering the public a unique prospect to participate in the upcoming Artemis II mission, a crucial test flight paving the way for future human lunar landings and eventual missions to Mars. Individuals can submit their names to “fly” virtually aboard the Orion spacecraft with the four-person crew, scheduled to launch next year.
How to Participate
to have your name included on the flash drive, you must submit it through one of NASA’s dedicated portals. Separate portals are available for English and Spanish submissions:
The deadline for submissions is January 21, 2024. After the deadline, the names will be encoded onto a flash drive and flown aboard the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission.
About Artemis II
Artemis II is a pivotal mission in NASA’s artemis program, designed to return humans to the Moon. The mission will send four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – on a flight test around the Moon and back to Earth. This mission is a critical step before attempting to land astronauts on the lunar surface with Artemis III,currently planned for 2026.
| Mission | Objective | Planned Launch Date | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| artemis II | Uncrewed flight test around the moon | September 2025 | Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen |
| Artemis III | First crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 | 2026 (estimated) | To be determined |
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is also actively promoting public involvement, inviting virtual crew members to accompany CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen on the Orion spacecraft, as posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, September 9, 2024.
The bigger picture: Towards Mars
NASA officials emphasize that Artemis II is not just about returning to the Moon; it’s a stepping stone towards even more aspiring goals, including the first human missions to Mars. The technologies and experience gained through the artemis program will be crucial for enabling thes future deep-space explorations.