Orion’s Artemis II mission shapes Moon-to-Mars path

Seven weeks after Orion returned four astronauts from humanity’s first crewed journey around the Moon since Apollo, Orion Vehicle Manager Branelle Rodriguez reflected on the mission’s achievements and what they mean for returning to the lunar surface and future missions to Mars.

She spoke at the Ion in Houston on May 28, offering an inside look at the mission she helped guide and the post-mission work now underway at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “This mission was very near and dear to my heart,” Rodriguez said. Launched April 1, Artemis II carried Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day voyage around the Moon.

Rodriguez walked attendees through key milestones — launch aboard the SLS rocket, operations in high-Earth orbit, a lunar flyby and Orion’s return to Earth — and shared crew imagery including Earthrise, detailed views of the lunar surface and a solar eclipse seen from deep space.

United States, Houston; Florida

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