Humans are about to return to the Moon for the first time in half a century. What is the latest situation? Which publicly listed companies are involved?

CnEdatoday report March 31日讯（edited by Shi Zhengcheng） After two rounds of “air leaks” repairs, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is making final preparations for Artemis 2, the mission to send astronauts to the Moon for the first time in about half a century.

According to NASA’s latest status update, the target launch time for the astronauts remains 6:24 PM Eastern Time on April 1 (6:24 AM Beijing Time on April 2), with a two-hour launch window. Similar launch windows will continue through April 6; if they still haven’t launched by then, the next at-least-available launch window will be delayed to April 30.

The mission’s four-person crew will consist of three veteran NASA astronauts—mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch—along with mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.

(From left to right: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen)

Return to the Moon

Although the Artemis 2 crew will not land on the Moon, they will become the first people on Earth to travel to the Moon since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

As a critical validation step for a crewed lunar landing mission, Artemis 2 will, over roughly 10 days, test whether the equipment needed for trans-lunar and trans-Earth travel is reliable. This will also mark the first crewed flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion deep-space crew vehicle.

Therefore, after the astronauts launch, they will first test the performance of the Orion spacecraft while in Earth orbit—confirming that communications, navigation, propulsion, and life-support systems are operating normally—then manually pilot the spacecraft to approach the SLS upper-stage rocket as fuel becomes depleted, simulating the operations required for the future crew to dock with a space station or a lunar lander.

(Source: NASA)

If all goes well, the crew will rest for a few hours, then start the spacecraft’s main engine, while flight control experts on the ground will evaluate the spacecraft’s condition and ultimately decide whether to allow the crew to proceed to the Moon.

After that, the journey to the Moon will last 4 days. In addition to being able to witness parts of the “far side of the Moon” that no human has ever seen firsthand, Artemis 2 will also set a new record for the farthest distance humans have ever reached from Earth.

Based on a timely launch, Artemis 2 will surpass the 248,655-mile farthest-distance record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970, and is expected to reach 252,000 miles.

Meanwhile, because the lunar transfer injection ignition has been precisely matched to the return trajectory, the “ride home” will follow gravity nearly as if on rails. That is to say, even if there is a major problem with the spacecraft’s navigation or propulsion systems after heading to the Moon, it can still return to Earth without relying on its own thrust.

If everything proceeds as planned, the spacecraft will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the U.S. West Coast on April 10 under the pull of Earth’s gravity.

As a test mission, the entire process also involves many uncertainties.

Before departing, Wiseman told the media: “When we leave Earth, there’s a chance we could come back home pretty quickly; there’s also a chance we’ll stay near Earth for three to four days; there’s a chance we’ll go to the Moon—that’s really where we want to go. But after all, this is a test mission. When we fly this amazing rocket and spacecraft out to 250,000 miles from Earth, we’ll already be prepared for all possible scenarios. This will be an incredible journey!”

According to the latest added plan from NASA, the Artemis 3 mission will test the docking between the Orion spacecraft and a commercial lunar lander in low Earth orbit in 2027. Currently, SpaceX and Blue Origin are competing to design this lunar lander. Under NASA’s most optimistic expectations, they could achieve the Artemis 4 and Artemis 5 lunar landing missions in sequence in 2028, preparing for the establishment of a long-term lunar outpost.

Which listed companies are directly involved?

Although this is a NASA-led mission, most of the key components of the spacecraft and launch systems are developed jointly by major aerospace giants.

Among them, Lockheed Martin (LMT) is the prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft, responsible for building the crew module where the astronauts will be housed during the mission, as well as the launch escape system used to quickly pull the spacecraft away from the rocket in emergency situations.

Boeing (BA) is responsible for the SLS rocket’s core stage, including its fuel tanks and onboard flight systems. At the same time, the company also manages the rocket’s upper-stage propulsion unit, providing the final acceleration that sends the Orion spacecraft toward the Moon.

Northrop Grumman (NOC) provides two solid rocket boosters, and is also responsible for key components related to the spacecraft’s escape system.

(Source: NASA)

Under the cooperation framework between NASA and the European Space Agency, Airbus built the European Service Module. This module is located beneath the crew module and is responsible for providing propulsion power, electricity supply, temperature regulation, and life-support resources such as water and oxygen.

L3Harris Technologies (LHX) provides engine systems for the rocket and spacecraft, including the main engine derived from the Space Shuttle program, as well as other propulsion systems used for maneuver control in space.

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