So who’s actually going to the Moon? Truth be told we still don’t know – and that’s not something that is going to change any time in the near future.
Artemis III is shaping up to be the first crewed lunar landing we’ve seen in a really long time nearly five decades since Apollo 17 back in 1972 but even NASA is still struggling to name the names of the crew members who are going to do the trip. We can probably expect those names to be announced a little closer to the actual launch date.
What we do know so far is the four astronauts who’ll be heading on the Artemis II mission – a mission that’s essentially a flyby of the Moon.
Those astronauts are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
They aren’t going to be part of the actual landing crew, but their mission is crucial & lays the groundwork for everything that comes next.
About that 2028 date…
Okay, so the bottom line is this: The current plan is for the lunar landing to happen around 2028, but it’s also worth noting that the timeline has slipped before – more times than anyone would care to admit. And at this point, nothing is set in stone.
A lot has to fall into place before Artemis III can even become a possibility.
The mission relies on a whole heap of things coming together.
SpaceX’s Starship as the lander, brand new spacesuits from Axiom Space, and a landing spot near the lunar South Pole that wont be easy to get to.
So its not just the future moonwalkers who are working hard to keep Artemis III on track – its also the wider astronaut corps and the program teams all working their way through a bunch of pretty tough tests right now.
When will Artemis III fly?
Well, when its ready. Not a moment sooner.”
