After more than 50 years, a NASA crew is set to head for the moon again in April.Image: keystone
NASA wants to fly astronauts to the moon next April for the first time in over 50 years. The start of the mission, which aims to orbit the Earth’s satellite, has had to be postponed several times due to technical problems.
Mar 16, 2026, 1:36 p.mMar 16, 2026, 1:36 p.m
The Artemis 2 and its four-person crew should have set off for the moon at the beginning of February. Technical problems with the rocket However, prevented the start of the NASA mission. Due to complications with the helium supply, which is responsible for the pressure in the fuel tanks, the new launch date in March also had to be canceled.
The American space agency NASA has now announced that the problems have been resolved and that the rocket should not ignite its engines until shortly after midnight Swiss time on April 2nd at the earliest. According to the US space agency, a six-day window opens on that day in which the launch of Artemis 2 can be carried out.
Crew on board again after 54 years
While several countries have sent missions without a crew towards Earth’s satellite in recent decades, a crew is now set to sit in the cockpit of a lunar rocket for the first time in 54 years. Most recently, in 1972, US astronauts Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt took off towards the moon on Apollo 17. The crew successfully landed on the lunar surface on December 11, 1972, the last flight of NASA’s famous Apollo program.
First female astronaut on a moon mission
With the American Christina Hammock Koch, a female astronaut is taking part in a moon mission for the first time. The astronaut from Michigan flew to the ISS space station in 2019, took part in three expeditions and spent a total of 328 days in space. In addition to Koch, US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen take their place on board Artemis 2.
The crew of the Artemis 2 mission.Image: EPA
Explore the dark side of the moon
In contrast to the Apollo 17 mission, the crew will not land on the moon, but will fly around it. According to NASA, the goal is to use observations and photos to gain information about the side of the moon that faces away from Earth. These findings should help prepare future missions to the far side of the moon, which has so far been little explored. (July)