Four astronauts are set to launch on the Artemis II mission Wednesday, April 1, from Florida, setting off on what will be a 10-day trip around the moon — and the farthest into space since the Apollo missions.
The four astronauts, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, will launch atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in the Orion spacecraft.
They will be the first humans in more than 50 years to leave Earth orbit and travel around the moon. Astronauts have not traveled beyond Earth orbit since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission.
Maine astronaut Jessica Meir, who hails from Caribou, was named to the shortlist of space explorers chosen for the moon mission, but ultimately didn’t make the cut. Although she is not heading to the moon on this journey, Meir is an accomplished astronaut who was part of the first ever all-female spacewalk, a feat she repeated two more times before returning to Earth.
Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today via Reuters and BDN reporter Leela Stockley contributed to this report.