Why astronauts are heading to the Moon after 50 years—and how India made it happen

Mar 30, 2026 | 15:03 IST

Nasa's Artermis II Moon rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Centre

How Chandrayaan-1, fitted with a key Nasa instrument, helped revive crewed lunar programme

If all systems are go and barring force majeure , four astronauts will in two days lift off towards the Moon on a giant rocket, becoming the first humans to head in that direction in over 50 years, since Nasa’s Apollo programme ended in 1972. After technical delays in February and March, Nasa is now preparing for launch on April 1 (April 2 in India).

The astronauts will not land. Instead, they will fly a loop around the Moon, breaking at least two spaceflight records. Depending on launch timing and trajectory, the crew of Artemis 2 are expected to reach a peak distance of over 4 lakh km from Earth, the farthest humans have travelled since Apollo 13 in 1970. They are also likely to hit 40,000 kmph on return, faster than Apollo 10’s record of 39,897 kmph, in 1969.

TOI

TOI

Why astronauts are heading to the Moon after 50 years—and how India made it happen

How Chandrayaan-1, fitted with a key Nasa instrument, helped revive crewed lunar programme

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TOI

Why astronauts are heading to the Moon after 50 years—and how India made it happen

How Chandrayaan-1, fitted with a key Nasa instrument, helped revive crewed lunar programme

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