BBC Tours Orion Spacecraft Model as Artemis II Mission Continues Moon Journey

BBC journalists got an up-close look at a replica of the Orion spacecraft while the real version carries four astronauts on a historic journey around the moon. The Artemis II crew is scheduled to splash down on Earth on April 10.

The mission serves as a crucial test flight to see if the Orion spacecraft can handle future lunar missions. NASA astronaut Christina Koch and three other crew members are putting the vehicle through its paces as they travel further from Earth than anyone has gone in decades.

The crew has already captured stunning images of Earth from Orion's four main windows as they reached the halfway point to the moon. This marks the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo program ended in 1972.

Artemis II is designed to prove that NASA can safely transport astronauts to and from the moon before attempting an actual lunar landing. Future missions plan to establish a permanent human presence on the moon and eventually send crews to Mars.