The next astronauts to fly around the Moon went into quarantine late Friday.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will ensure that they don’t pick up any illness that could delay their mission by limiting their exposure to others in the days before they lift off. This period, called the health stabilization program, typically starts about 14 days before launch. Beginning quarantine now preserves flexibility as teams work toward potential opportunities in the February launch period. At this time, the agency still has not set an official launch date as testing continues for the rocket and spacecraft. Pending the outcome of the wet dress rehearsal or other operations considerations, the crew can come out of quarantine, and re-enter 14 days before any launch date.
The crew will begin quarantine in Houston, and if testing continues to go well and activities progress toward a possible launch next month, they will fly to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida about six days ahead of launch. There, the Artemis II crew will live in the astronaut crew quarters inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, before launch day. During quarantine, the crew can continue regular contact with friends, family, and colleagues who are able to observe quarantine guidelines, and will avoid public places, wear masks, and maintain distance from others they come into contact with as they continue their final training activities. Those training activities will continue in the days ahead with mission simulations and medical checkouts.
Meanwhile, teams at Kennedy continue to prepare the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, along with associated ground systems, ahead of launch. Teams have completed all checkouts of mechanical power systems, cryogenic propellant lines, and engines at Launch Pad 39B. On Saturday, Jan. 24, the pad perimeter will be cleared of all non-essential personnel for SLS booster servicing planned to begin over the weekend.
On the other side of the country, the NASA and Department of War teams that will work together to retrieve the crew and spacecraft following their return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean are performing a final simulation of their activities, called a just-in-time training, at sea. Those teams will begin making their way to Orion’s splashdown location in the days after launch.
The approximately 10-day Artemis II mission around the Moon is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. It will help test the systems and hardware needed to continue sending astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to continue building toward the first crewed missions to Mars.