NASA is preparing for a historic mission: for the first time in 50 years, astronauts will travel around the Moon to test new technology and study the impact of space flight on the human body, setting the stage for a future lunar landing.
NASA is preparing to send four astronauts on a ten-day journey around the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission, currently scheduled for February 2026. The crew, which includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, will not land on the surface but will be the first people since Apollo 17 in 1972 to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.
The mission’s goal is to test the rocket and spacecraft systems for a future Moon landing, as well as to study the effect of space flight on the astronauts’ bodies. During the journey, scientists will analyze organoids grown from the crew members’ blood to understand changes in tissues after exposure to space.
The success of Artemis II is a crucial step in preparing for the Artemis III mission, which is intended to achieve a lunar landing. Even with an ideal flight schedule, the actual landing is not expected until at least mid-2027.
Meanwhile, NASA continues its exploration of Mars: the Perseverance rover has collected new rock samples with minerals and structures potentially associated with life, although scientists emphasize that the signs could also have a non-biological origin.
