To Protect Artemis II Moon Mission Crew, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on The Sun

To Protect Artemis II Moon Mission Crew, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on The Sun

As four astronauts travel around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II Mission, they will venture beyond Earth's protective magnetic field. The crew’s spacecraft, Orion, will carry and protect them as they journey into deep space. It serves as the main protection against the Sun’s intense power. During their ten-day flight, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will continuously monitor the Sun around the clock and translate space weather conditions into real-time decisions to protect the astronauts.

NASA’s Artemis II flight test will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth.

The Artemis II mission will launch no earlier than April 1. 

Image Description: The Sun is against a black background. The Sun is colorized primarily in blue, with brighter purple areas scattered across the star showing higher activity areas. Toward the upper center of the star, there is a bright flash in white and red that looks like an X. This is a solar flare.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Release Date: March 17, 2026

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