NASA is sending humans around the Moon again after 50 years and here’s why it matters |

NASA is sending humans around the Moon again after 50 years and here’s why it matters. (AI-generated)

For years, the Moon has sat quietly in the background of space news, always present but rarely urgent. That has begun to change. In early 2026, NASA plans to send people around the Moon again, something that has not happened since the early 1970s. NASA does not intend Artemis 2 to be a dramatic landing mission, unlike Apollo. Instead, it is careful and deliberate. The spacecraft will travel far from Earth, loop around the Moon, and come home. The goal is reassurance rather than spectacle. Engineers want proof that people can live and work safely in deep space again, even if only for a short while. It is a quiet step, but an important one.

NASA’s Artemis 2 reveals about humans going back to the moon

The most obvious difference is pace. Apollo moved fast, driven by Cold War pressure and political deadlines. Artemis moves slowly, shaped by testing schedules, budgets, and long-term plans. Artemis 2 is the first crew mission of this programme, but it builds on years of groundwork. The Orion spacecraft has already flown once without people, proving it could survive deep space and return through Earth’s atmosphere.There is also a wider sense of purpose. Apollo aimed to land, plant a flag, and return. Artemis aims to stay involved. We designed the mission to test systems that we will reuse, refine, and fly again. Life support, navigation, and communication are all being checked with future missions in mind, not just this one flight.

NASA is putting humans back near the moon: Know the crew

Artemis 2, scheduled to launch on February 5, 2026, is a critical step towards establishing a long-term human presence on the moon’s surface. Four astronauts will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Space Launch System rocket. Once in orbit, the early hours are cautious. Orion circles Earth twice while teams confirm everything works as it should. Only then does the spacecraft head for the Moon.Much of the mission is observation and practice. The crew will manually pilot Orion during a close approach to the rocket stage that helped push them into space. This trip is not a show for the cameras but a chance to understand how the spacecraft handles when people are in control.There is also daily life to consider. Astronauts will remove their launch suits, eat, exercise, and sleep. These moments matter. Life support systems must cope with real bodies breathing, moving, and resting. This is ordinary behaviour being tested in an extraordinary environment.

How close will they get to the Moon

Artemis 2 does not enter lunar orbit. Instead, Orion follows a free return path, swinging around the far side of the Moon before heading home. At its most distant point, the spacecraft will travel thousands of miles beyond the lunar surface.From the windows, the view will be striking but brief. The Moon will fill much of the foreground, while Earth hangs small and distant. This trajectory is fuel efficient and reassuring. If engines fail, gravity does the work, pulling Orion back towards Earth. It is an old idea, used during Apollo, but it fits well with Artemis’s careful approach.

Why does this mission matter for Mars

NASA often speaks about Mars, but Artemis 2 is very much about the Moon. Even so, the connection is clear. Deep space travel demands systems that can run for days without quick rescue options. Communication delays, radiation exposure, and isolation are part of the test.By flying Artemis 2, NASA gathers data that cannot be fully replicated on Earth. How do astronauts cope physically and mentally? How reliable are systems when pushed beyond low Earth orbit? These questions matter just as much for Mars as they do for the Moon.Artemis 2, Its success will be measured quietly, in checklists completed and systems behaving as expected. Sometimes progress looks like that.