Artemis II: Return to the Moon — BBC News

[0:00] The first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years. [0:08] Booster ignition and liftoff! The crew of Artemis II now bound for the moon. [0:17] My goodness! [0:19] Four NASA astronauts head further into space than anyone has ever been before. [0:24] The Artemis II mission was the second launch of the Artemis program, [0:29] its long-term aim to eventually establish a human presence on the lunar surface and beyond. [0:35] I just kept saying to them yesterday, like, I really like it up here. [0:39] This is the first step, really, of sending humans back to the surface of the moon for a sustained presence. [0:45] From record-breaking feats and scientific breakthroughs to emotional moments. [0:50] Integrity, we have you loud and clear. [0:53] Houston, we have you the same. [1:00] With the world watching, here is how the historic mission unfolded. [1:04] It's been more than 50 years since there's been a crewed mission to the moon. [1:23] NASA, the US government's space agency, says it eventually aims to have a long-term human presence on the lunar surface and then go on to Mars. [1:36] This time it's different. You know, with Artemis, we're going back to stay. [1:41] We're going back to put a sustained presence on the moon, building a moon base, building that permanent presence. [1:47] We're going to a different location, going to the south pole where no one's been before. [1:52] The mission to the moon and back will take around 10 days. [2:00] For the first day, the astronauts will orbit the Earth, checking the spacecraft's vital systems. [2:06] The crew will then begin a four-day journey deeper into space than humans have ever been before. [2:13] The Orion capsule won't land on the moon. [2:15] It will fly around its far side before gravity guides it back towards Earth. [2:21] Their four-day journey back home will conclude with the capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. [2:27] I am looking forward to seeing the Orion spacecraft under parachutes, splashing down safely off the west coast of the United States. [2:37] I mean, look, this is a dangerous mission. This is a test flight mission. [2:41] Now, you have test pilots on board that spacecraft. You have astronauts that have trained for years. [2:46] They know they're contributing to a far grander endeavor, but this is a big deal. [2:52] They're sharing a front row seat to history, according to NASA. [2:56] So who are the crew? [2:57] Artemis II commander Reed Wiseman is a Navy veteran and has previously served aboard the International Space Station. [3:06] Artemis is building on an already solid legacy. [3:11] Right now, our crews are on the International Space Station learning how to truly work off of the planet. [3:17] These are lessons that will be critical on the moon as we look forward. [3:21] Pilot and NASA astronaut Victor Glover previously flew NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 mission. [3:29] He's the first black person to go to the moon. [3:32] The pilot's role is to back up the commander as the second-in-command of the crew [3:37] and also to understand the status of the vehicle and, if need be, to manually control the vehicle [3:43] or make inputs to change the status of any vehicle systems. [3:47] Mission Specialist Christina Koch participated in the first all-female space war in 2019 [3:54] and now she's become the first woman astronaut ever assigned to a lunar mission. [3:59] Still seeing Christina Koch there on the end of the robotic arm. [4:04] These other astronauts have an amazing history, amazing record. [4:08] They all have a military background and I come from a more raw technical engineering background [4:14] and I think that that complements one another really well. [4:17] And this is Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen's first time in space. [4:22] The Canadian is the first non-American to go to the moon. [4:25] I've been inspired by space exploration from an early age and so this really is full circle for me. [4:32] It's kind of where it began going back to the moon. [4:34] There's little margin for error. [4:40] Earlier scheduled launches were delayed by technical issues. [4:43] Each pause forced NASA back into inspections, repairs and retesting. [4:49] It's very challenging to move a large heavy rocket but actually that's part of the process [4:57] is getting it to the launch pad, running through that wet dress rehearsal, [5:00] making sure everything is going according to plan. [5:03] And if they do have any problems they have the ability to bring it back into the vertical assembly building. [5:07] A wet dress rehearsal is where we will run through the whole launch sequence. [5:12] The reason why they call it wet is because fuel is actually being added. [5:17] Now the problems that we've seen in the wet dress rehearsal are leaks with hydrogen and with helium. [5:23] When is a rocket safe to launch? It would have been stress tested. [5:27] There comes a point when the engineering community decide that this is ready to go. [5:32] It's April 1, 2026. Launch day. All attention is now on launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Centre. [5:43] At 98 metres tall, the white and orange tower is the heaviest rocket the agency has ever launched. [5:49] You look at that launch pad, it has seen all the predecessors to Artemis. [5:55] That's where the Saturn 5s lifted off, the Apollo missions to go to the moon. [6:00] The shuttles went from that launch site. You can see components of each one of those in that vehicle. [6:07] NASA forecaster's main worry is clouds, putting gently in the blue sky above the space centre. [6:15] It's hard to imagine that the most powerful rocket NASA ever built could be thwarted by a fluffy cloud. [6:22] But it can, because lightning can be created if it flies through one. [6:26] So we're looking at the time of the launch, right, and the flight pack of the launch. [6:32] Those are the things that, you know, wind conditions at various altitudes affect, [6:37] making sure the temperatures are within range for when you first take off [6:42] so that you don't get any anomalies you're not expecting. [6:45] Around 400,000 people have gathered locally to watch the launch. [6:55] Grew up during the Apollo era. Remember watching the landing on TV. [7:02] I got here around 7 a.m. I woke up around 4. [7:06] It's been over 50 years since we've gone to the moon, and to be able to witness it in person, [7:11] to see something that we've only witnessed in documentaries, especially for my generation, is kind of magical. [7:17] At key moments in the mission, like launch day, the astronauts will wear their distinctive orange suits, [7:22] the Orion Crew Survival System. [7:25] In effect, the space suit is a body-shaped balloon that holds your personal atmosphere. [7:33] The main thing about the Orion space suit is it's designed to keep the crew safe not only at launch and landing during dynamic phases of flight, [7:40] but if something were to go wrong while you're in transit to the moon or in lunar orbit, [7:45] they're designed to sustain you for that full duration of return. [7:49] So they become your own personal-sized spacecraft. That can last up to six days. [7:54] Nominally, we will wear them for launch. We will doff the suits, meaning take them off, [7:59] and then we will don the suits just prior to reentry. [8:03] The Artemis crew have undergone extensive training wearing their spacesuits, [8:10] but today's the day they'll wear them for real. [8:13] You literally show up in your long underwear to the suit room. [8:16] They put those spacesuits on. They test them. [8:18] You might have seen some of them looking, like, really big and blown up, [8:21] and that's to make sure they're really holding pressure. [8:24] And when everything's really all done, and then they climb in that elevator, [8:27] they walk out through the same doorway that Mercury, Gemini, Apollo installed. [8:31] My Apollo and space shuttle astronauts walked out. [8:38] They're driving on the road to the launch pad. [8:41] Sometimes they end up stopping to let off people for launch control, [8:43] but it looks like they're not going to do that. [8:45] It's the crew's final journey on Earth soil before they lift off into space. [8:52] It's such a big, steady sort of pressure. [8:56] I mean, you're already going 100 miles an hour by the time you clear the launch pad. [9:00] It's more about it is just relentless. [9:03] It's so clear you are not stopping, not until you get to space, [9:06] when those engines cut off. [9:08] Artemis 2 crew is go for launch. Full set. [9:13] And there you see the crew access arm moving away. [9:17] But now with that arm retracting, the backup transitions to a launch abort system. [9:24] And CLS is go for core stage engines. [9:27] And here we go. [9:29] 10, 9, 8, 7. [9:33] RS-25 engines lit. [9:35] 4, 3, 2, 1. [9:40] Booster ignition and lift off. [9:42] The crew of Artemis 2 now bound for the moon. [9:46] Humanity's next great voyage begins. [9:49] My goodness, that is spectacular. [9:56] It's not just what you see and you hear as the rocket lifts off. [10:00] You can actually feel the force of it through your body. [10:04] This is the most powerful rocket that NASA has ever built. [10:09] Super stoked that there's a female astronaut going up. [10:14] And it is just really incredible to see, just to see the diversity. [10:19] Never seen anything like it. [10:20] First time I've ever seen a rocket launch. [10:21] And it was just really kind of moving to see just how much power was in that rocket. [10:26] And it went off so quick. [10:27] It was so bright. [10:28] It was like looking at the sun. [10:30] It is many nations coming together to be able to make this dream happen. [10:35] Confirmed separation. [10:41] The twin boosters separate as the rocket shoots towards the edge of the Earth's atmosphere [10:47] before crossing the boundary into space. [10:50] The stakes couldn't be higher here at the Kennedy Space Center. [10:55] NASA has set itself the goal of sending astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028. [11:01] That's an ambitious target. [11:03] The performance of the Orion spacecraft and crew will give the clearest indication yet [11:08] as to whether that's really achievable. [11:11] The Orion spacecraft Integrity is now orbiting the Earth, [11:15] with Commander Reid Wiseman in contact with Mission Control. [11:19] NASA are streaming aspects of life on board. [11:22] The astronauts test the spacecraft to ensure everything's working properly. [11:28] A few issues do crop up. [11:30] A brief communications dropout and a problem with the toilet. [11:34] NASA says it will take the crew a while to acclimatise. [11:39] You might not feel like eating a lot. [11:41] Your body is acclimating to zero-g and it takes a little bit of adapting. [11:47] The Artemis 2 crew are the first to have travelled beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. [11:55] We'd like to dedicate the first steps of Apollo 17 to all those who made it possible. [12:02] Returning to the Moon, it matters for several reasons. [12:05] There's science, there's exploration and there's inspiration. [12:09] On the science, there's a huge amount to learn from the Moon [12:12] that can teach us about the Earth and the early origins of the solar system. [12:16] Then there's exploration. [12:17] Humans have an innate desire to want to explore. [12:21] So the Moon is one of the easiest places three to four days away from Earth. [12:26] So it's a stepping stone, if you like, to Mars and in the long term even beyond Mars. [12:32] And then there's inspiration, which is, I think, the Apollo era showed the effect that can have on the global population about sending humans out beyond Earth. [12:42] Until translunar injection burn starts. [12:55] The translunar injection burn is the powerful thrust that sends Orion on its slingshot path to the Moon and then back to Earth. [13:02] Your integrity crew is go for TLI. [13:07] The crew on board are mesmerised by what they can see. [13:11] It's just a beautiful view of the... [13:13] The crew are also getting used to life in space and reflecting on their smooth journey so far. [13:26] One of the biggest surprises was how smooth riding those solids was. [13:30] We all expected a really just dynamic ride, a lot of motion. [13:34] We were prepared to potentially not being able to see telemetry, maybe even not being able to, you know, touch switches. [13:41] And it was very smooth. [13:44] For me, it's just so extraordinary. [13:47] I just kept saying to them yesterday, like, I really like it up here. [13:52] We're just getting started. [13:53] You know, we've worked really hard. [13:54] And even though we were a little surprised to actually launch yesterday, we have a lot of mission left ahead of us. [14:00] And I got to tell you, there is nothing normal about this. [14:03] Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort. [14:07] And we are now just realizing the gravity of that. [14:10] How did the crew sleep in zero gravity? [14:13] Most of us have been sleeping really well. [14:15] For me, sleeping in space is one of the most comfortable ways to sleep. [14:19] They'll have, like, you know, sleeping bags strung different directions. [14:22] I think one of the crew members has said that they'll sleep up in the docking hatch area, kind of curled up in there. [14:26] So, yeah, they use sleeping bags and they kind of strap themselves in. [14:30] And that's how they'll sleep. [14:31] There's window shades they put on the windows to keep the sunlight out. [14:34] Sleeping here is actually sort of comical. [14:38] Christina has been sleeping heads down in the middle of the vehicle, kind of like a bat suspended from our docking tunnel. [14:44] Victor's been up where Jeremy is right now. [14:46] He's got a nice little nook wedged in there. [14:48] And then Jeremy has been stretched out on seat one. [14:51] And I've been sleeping under the displays just in case anything goes wrong. [14:55] As the capsule makes progress towards the moon, the Earth starts to diminish behind it. [15:05] The crew keep busy carrying out tests on the capsule, their equipment and even themselves. [15:14] There's not much room inside the capsule, but they're adapting to how best to eat, work and even exercise. [15:22] We've taught them and trained them how to document and observe the moon from their unique vantage point. [15:28] There's also just the aspect of the humanity of being able to be in a position like that. [15:33] It's not all plane sailing, though. [15:37] You're getting a live look outside the windows of the Orion spacecraft as they conduct that wastewater dump. [15:43] There's a new problem with the universal waste management system, that space toilet to you and I. [15:49] During the night, we tried to vent the wastewater tank that's attached to the toilet. [15:57] We had problems with that due to suspected blockage, we think probably due to ice. [16:03] So we directed the crew overnight to use their collapsible contingency urine devices, just like they did on flight day one. [16:18] Breaking news. We have results on the discussions down here for the tank venting. [16:26] And at this time, you are go for all types of uses of the toilet. [16:31] By day four, the issues with the crew's loo were fixed, much to the relief of those on board. [16:37] Rejoices. Thank you. [16:40] It meant all the tension could turn towards the final preparations for the lunar flyby. [16:45] The moon we are looking at is not the moon you see from Earth, however. [16:50] And an opportunity to admire the moon from new angles. [16:54] We were screaming right above the clouds and now here we are, well over 100,000 miles away from Earth [17:00] and closer to the moon than we are to the Earth right now. [17:03] The Grand Canyon of the moon is called Oriental Basin and we were able to see the entire thing. [17:08] Standby. [17:09] We were able to see the entire thing and so it's clear that we are not on Earth [17:18] because that feature is not all visible from Earth. [17:21] The Artemis II crew took this photo revealing the moon's far side of the oriental basin here on the right edge of the lunar disk. [17:35] It's never been seen by humans before. [17:38] By day five, the Orion capsule is closer to the moon than Earth, speeding through space. [17:45] One of the interesting things that happens when you look at a moon that inherently just looks different [17:50] is like the darker parts just aren't quite in the right place and something about you senses. [17:56] That is not the moon that I'm used to seeing. [17:59] Back on Earth, the NASA team is preparing for the lunar flyby. [18:03] The BBC's Rebecca Morrell was allowed inside. [18:07] This is Artemis Mission Control. [18:09] It's the nerve centre of the entire operation. [18:12] The team here are monitoring all of the spacecraft systems from communications to propulsion to life support 24 hours a day. [18:20] The person sitting here is the flight director. [18:23] They're in charge of the whole show and next to them is what's known as CAPCOM, the capsule communicator. [18:30] It's their voice that the astronauts hear and their link with home. [18:34] The crew have been trained by lunar scientists so they can take photos, make sketches and record audio descriptions during the flyby. [18:42] Hearing the crew describing what they're seeing on that far side of the moon, I just can't wait to hear how excited they are when they're actually looking at the moon from close up. [18:52] So that's going to be the moment that's going to make me probably burst into tears, I should think, knowing me. [18:57] The crew were also able to answer children's questions about what exactly they eat while on board. [19:03] This is actually shrimp cocktail. [19:07] And this has been rehydrated already so we added water to it and the shrimp soaked back up the water and it's actually pretty tasty. [19:17] Not forgetting a special treat for the resident Canadian. [19:20] Here's the maple syrup that we opened up and had at lunchtime today. [19:25] So we had a little bit of Canada on board today. [19:28] The crew prepare to travel further into space than ever before and are on course to break a record previously set more than half a century ago. [19:40] A record breaking moment for the team. [19:44] The crew's position beyond the frontier of human space exploration offers sight of new lunar features. [20:00] And they've given some of them names, including a crater named Integrity after their spacecraft [20:06] and another feature named after Commander Reed Wiseman's late wife. [20:10] That's a loved one. [20:13] The moon is getting ever closer and one of the other features the crew will record is colour. [20:34] When you look up at the moon at night, of course you see whites, blacks and grays, right, that whole spectrum. [20:42] But when you really start to spend time and let your eyes kind of get attuned to what you're seeing, [20:47] you do see subtle shades of colour pop out, especially when you're close to the moon. [20:51] The crew are now entering the lunar observation period, a window of time for scientific study. [21:04] There's only a set number of hours between the start of the close approach and the end of the flyby. [21:10] So we have to have people looking at the data right away to be able to advise the crew what to do next. [21:15] The crew reported colours on the surface, which will help enhance scientific understanding of the moon. [21:22] We look at the moon at night and it all looks grey or dark or light, but it doesn't look colourful. [21:29] We don't expect to see very bright colours on the moon, but some colours, browns, greens, things like that, [21:35] give us an indication of what chemicals are there. [21:38] And that can be very interesting both to explain how the moon formed with the Earth, how different is it from Earth, [21:44] but also whether any of these elements could be usable in the future, whether they're usable to make rocket fuel or air or water for drinking, [21:53] or whether they'd be useful for building materials, like to build up a base on the moon. [22:02] As Orion travels behind the moon, the crew witness an Earth set where the Earth drops below the lunar horizon. [22:09] When Orion swings behind the moon, radio contact will drop, the start of a planned 40-minute silence. [22:19] Houston copies, we'll see you on the other side. [22:22] They've now reached the mission's maximum distance from Earth, setting a new record for human spaceflight. [22:34] The crew witness an Earth rise as they emerge from behind the moon, moments before the spacecraft signal is restored. [22:44] Integrity, we have you loud and clear. [22:54] Houston, we have you the saint to hear from Earth again. [23:00] About an hour later, the crew witnessed a solar eclipse, using it to study the sun's corona, glowing around the moon's edge. [23:10] We have such faith in our vehicle integrity, such faith in mission control, that we were just at complete peace [23:17] and just doing our job, collect as much science data as we could while we were on the far side of the moon, [23:23] and we were just giddy in here. [23:24] As the lunar observation period ends, the crew receive a surprise call from the president. [23:31] I wanted to congratulate each and every one of you and tell me what is the most unforgettable part of this really historic day. [23:40] We saw sites that no human has ever seen before, not even an Apollo, and that was amazing for us. [23:45] I think one of the biggest highlights was coming back from the far side of the moon and having the first glimpses of planet Earth again. [23:52] Orion begins its journey back to Earth after a week in space. [24:03] Oh, thank you for showing us that. That is so cool. [24:10] What will you miss most about being in space, and what won't you miss at all? [24:17] This sense of teamwork is something that you don't usually get like as an adult. [24:23] I mean, we are close like brothers and sisters, and that is a privilege we will never have again. [24:31] I have to say I don't think there's anything I would say I won't miss or that I'm just ready to be over because this whole thing is a package. [24:41] We can't explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient. [24:46] The return home is the most dangerous part of the mission. [24:50] At one of the first press conferences, we were asked, what are we looking forward to? [24:54] And I said, splashdown. [24:55] And I haven't even begun to process what we have been through. [24:58] We have still got two more days. [25:01] And riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well. [25:05] I'm going to be thinking about and talking about all of these things for the rest of my life for sure. [25:11] The crew depend on the capsule's heat shield, which faces Earth during re-entry into the atmosphere, [25:16] and protects them from temperatures up to 2,700 degrees Celsius, about half as hot as the sun's surface. [25:24] A good view of integrity. Time to splash down four and a half minutes. [25:28] The historic mission is almost over. [25:32] Your trajectory is nominal, and your recovery teams have visual. [25:36] After passing through the atmosphere, parachutes are deployed to slow down the spacecraft. [25:41] And, Houston, we're visual. Two drogues out the window. [25:44] We copy. We see them. [25:45] Leading to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. [25:50] Houston, haggarty. Splashdown. Sending post-landing command now. [25:54] Where a recovery team awaits. [25:56] A modern-day mission to the moon, a new chapter of the exploration of our celestial neighbour is complete. [26:02] So, y'all, we did it. [26:07] We sent four amazing people to the moon and safely returned them to Earth for the first time in more than 50 years. [26:16] With the capsule safely back on Earth, the first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years has reached its end. [26:24] Everything will now be assessed in detail to shape the expeditions that will follow. [26:30] Finally peering out, waving at the cameras. [26:33] For the astronauts themselves, an unforgettable history-making experience. [26:39] Thank you. [26:40] That's great. [26:41] Climate engagement. [26:42] Cliff, Thborn. [26:43] Thank you. [26:44] Seen the dead car of the knots. [26:46] sadness. [26:47] Everybody releases them in photo scientific action. [26:49] êtест where we will clip them from Bob's ready for their final improvement so that they can break [26:52] The next question is what makes the usual easel to believe it. [26:54] A presence of wondering about the work. [26:55] For the