Artemis 2 is on its way to the Moon. On the night of April 1st, at 12:35 a.m. Italian time, NASA's Space Launch System rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, carrying four astronauts on a journey to the Moon for the first time in over fifty years. Aboard the Orion capsule—built in Europe—were Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch of NASA, along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
The approximately ten-day mission will take them around the Moon, potentially setting a new distance record from Earth, surpassing that of Apollo 13 in 1970. The primary objective of the Artemis 2 mission is to lay the foundation for the return of humans to the lunar surface, with the potential for extended stays in the future. Specifically, the mission will focus on demonstrating the Orion spacecraft's crew and systems' ability to fly into deep space and return to Earth, testing life support, navigation, and optical communications for high-speed Moon-Earth transmission. The mission will also test the Space Launch System with a crew on board, validating reentry procedures, including demonstrating Orion's guidance in a non-GPS environment.
Once in space, Orion deployed its solar panels, allowing the spacecraft to receive power from the Sun, while the crew and engineers on the ground immediately began the transition from launch to flight to begin testing key systems.
For Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy and Delegate Authority for Space and Aerospace Policies, this is a "historic moment." "Italy," he explained, "will also be a leading figure in this new phase of lunar exploration." On Wednesday in Washington, the Minister of International Cooperation (MIMIT) signed a Statement of Intent on cooperation for the lunar surface with NASA's Chief Administrator, "strengthening our country's role in the new race to the Moon. This is an important recognition of the excellence of the Italian industry, which is being called upon to build the habitation modules designed to allow astronauts to remain safely and for extended periods on the surface. Today, Italy flies high and looks to the sky with pride and ambition."
"This marks the beginning of a new phase in our presence in deep space and a fundamental step towards future missions to the Moon and, ultimately, to Mars," said Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency. Ten European countries contributed, involving 20 prime contractors and over 100 European suppliers, from the creation of the supporting structure by Thales Alenia Space in Turin to the integration of all components by prime contractor Airbus in Bremen, Germany.
(Unioneonline/D)
