Artemis Two: First Moon Flyby in 50 Years

0:00It's April 1st. This is Canada News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. NASA astronauts are gearing up for a huge launch this Wednesday on the Artemis 2 mission, a 10-day trip that slingshots them around the moon for. The first time in over 50 years, the crew rides in the Orion capsule on top of the space launch system rocket blasting off at 6.24 pm from Kennedy Space Center in, Florida. Joining the team is Commander Reed Wiseman, with Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This flight serves as a key test run for the rocket and capsule, pushing NASA's Artemis program toward landing humans on the moon by as early as 2028. The agency's head has rolled out a $30 billion plan over the next decade to build a permanent base there, including new test missions too, link up with landers from private companies. The mission packs a ton of firsts that have folks buzzing, like Kochay becoming the first

1:00woman to venture near the moon, Glover the first black. Astronaut to do so, enhance in the first Canadian. It's all part of a bigger push amid rising tensions, as the U.S. races China to claim a foothold on the lunar surface before the end of the decade. Early in the flight, Glover will maneuver close to part of the rocket to practice docking skills for future landers, then they'll fire the main engine. On day two to head lunar, about four days out, they'll swing behind the moon's far side for a flyby on April 6th, a spot we've never seen up close from Earth. Gravity will then sling them back home for a parachute splashdown in the Pacific on day 10, recovered by Navy divers. This step locks in America's long-term lunar game plan.