DNA Explainer: All about NASA's historic Artemis mission to Moon, how it will take humans closer to Mars

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is all set to launch the first phase of the Artemis mission to the moon today, August 29. The lift-off of the spacecraft is set to take place from Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center today.

The launch of the Artemis I mission is set to be a major feat for NASA and humanity, as the mission aims at putting humans on the surface of the moon once again, for the first time in the past 50 years, after the iconic Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

What is the Artemis I mission, set to launch today?

Artemis I mission by NASA is the first phase of the Artemis project planned by the space agency, which aims at putting humans on the moon once again in 2025. Artemis I will be launching today at 8:33 am EST from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US.

Though the aim of Artemis is to put humans on the lunar surface, the Artemis I launch will not include any humans. It aims at testing out the strength of the SLS spacecraft and the Orion spacecraft’s fitness and heat shield, to make sure that it can make a trip back from the moon.

On the official homepage of the Artemis mission, NASA said that it will be sending its space experts to the moon “using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.” The mission is aimed at creating a long-term presence on the moon.

The Artemis I mission is a 42-day trip around the moon for the SLS spacecraft, after which the Orion will take a total of 10 days to go around the lunar surface. The Orion spacecraft will orbit around the moon for two weeks, to collect information that will be useful for astronauts.

If all goes according to plan, NASA is expecting that the spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of California on October 10, 2022.

Will Artemis mission take us closer to Mars?

The Artemis I mission is set to help NASA and other space researchers explore more of the Moon using advanced equipment and technologies, leading to another “large step for mankind.” With this mission, NASA aims at gathering enough information for their next mission – sending the first astronauts to Mars.

NASA aims at landing humans on the lunar surface first before they make a leap toward their Mars mission to make sure that their astronauts can survive a long duration in outer space. During a news conference, NASA had said, “We're going back to the moon in order to learn to live, to work, to survive.”

After the success of the Artemis I mission, the Artemis II and III will also be announced by NASA, which are aimed to be launched around 2024.

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