The new NASA moon mission is special for multiple reasons. The US space agency will on Friday announce the first list of potential candidate landing sites under the Artemis III mission. A new moon rocket, as part of the two-year Artemis program, will make its debut test flight in less than two weeks. If successful, NASA aims for a lunar-orbiting flight with astronauts in two years and a lunar landing by a human crew (Artemis III) as early as 2025.
The first potential landing sites are likely to be around the moon's South Pole. "Within each region, there are several potential landing sites," a statement highlighted.
NASA announcement on landing sites for Artemis III mission: Where to watch
NASA will make the announcement in a media teleconference at 2 pm EDT (11:30pm IST) on Friday. The briefing will be live-streamed in audio format on the agency's official website.
NASA's Artemis mission: Key details
- Artemis III will be the first time astronauts will set foot on the Moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
- The 322-foot-long rocket emerged from its mammoth hangar late Tuesday night, drawing crowds of Kennedy Space Center workers, many of whom were not yet born when NASA sent the world's first astronauts to the moon a half-century ago.
- NASA is aiming for August 29 for the liftoff for the lunar test flight. NASA has decided not to include humans inside the crew capsule atop the rocket, just three mannequins swarming with sensors to measure radiation and vibration.
- The capsule will fly around the moon in a distant orbit for a couple weeks, before heading back for a splashdown in the Pacific. The entire flight should last six weeks.
- Through the Artemis missions, NASA stated, it will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone to send astronauts to Mars.
- The US space agency selected SpaceX’s Starship to provide the human landing system to deliver crew from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon during Artemis III.
NASA's Artemis mission: Key details
- Artemis III will be the first time astronauts will set foot on the Moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
- The 322-foot-long rocket emerged from its mammoth hangar late Tuesday night, drawing crowds of Kennedy Space Center workers, many of whom were not yet born when NASA sent the world's first astronauts to the moon a half-century ago.
- NASA is aiming for August 29 for the liftoff for the lunar test flight. NASA has decided not to include humans inside the crew capsule atop the rocket, just three mannequins swarming with sensors to measure radiation and vibration.
- The capsule will fly around the moon in a distant orbit for a couple weeks, before heading back for a splashdown in the Pacific. The entire flight should last six weeks.
- Through the Artemis missions, NASA stated, it will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone to send astronauts to Mars.
- The US space agency selected SpaceX’s Starship to provide the human landing system to deliver crew from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon during Artemis III.