The launch of the Artemis I mission is tentatively scheduled for 2:33 PM Dutch time on August 29, from the Kennedy Space Center space base at Cape Canaveral in Florida. This was reported by the space agencies NASA (United States) and ESA (Europe).
If the rocket fails to take off on August 29, the next options are September 2 and 5. The journey takes about six weeks in total. The vessel should return to Earth around mid-October.
The next test flight, Artemis II, will have people on board. They circle the moon and then return to Earth. That mission is currently scheduled for May 2024. The names of the astronauts have not yet been announced, but it concerns three people from the United States and one from Canada. Around 2025, the climax should follow with the mission Artemis III, in which humans set foot on the moon again. A man and a woman are supposed to stay at the south pole of the moon for about a week. Between 1969 and 1972, a total of twelve people, all men, have been on the moon.
The craft that goes to the moon is called the Orion. The crew is in the forward section, which is being built by the United States. The back is from Europe. That part includes the engines, oxygen, water and the temperature control. The electricity on board is generated by solar panels from Leiden. In return, Europe will also receive three places at a later stage to send people to the moon. It is not yet known who that will be.