Why is it in the news?
NASA launched crewed Artemis II mission (1 April 2026)
Category: Science & Tech / Space
Important Points:
● First crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 (1972)
● 10-day lunar flyby mission (no landing)
● Uses Orion spacecraft + SLS rocket
● Free-return trajectory → gravity-assisted return
● Crew: includes first woman & person of color beyond Earth orbit
● Tests deep-space life support systems
● Laser communication (O2O) → 260 Mbps data transfer
● AVATAR experiment → study radiation effects
● Global collaboration (CubeSats from multiple countries)
● Marks return to deep-space human missions