In February, Artemis II is scheduled to fly around the Moon, marking the first time in 54 years that a crewed spacecraft travels to lunar distance. Once again, the Þingeyjarsýslur region plays a key role in preparing the mission. Artemis II also marks a historic milestone in spaceflight, as Christina Koch will become the first woman to fly around the Moon.
Christina Koch was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1979 and has already spent 328 days in Earth orbit. She will now become the first woman to fly beyond low Earth orbit and all the way to the Moon. Although the crew will not land on the lunar surface on this mission, the flight will pave the way for future missions. Artemis III is planned to land on the Moon, something last achieved in 1972.
According to Cindy Evans, who leads the geology training for the Artemis astronauts, Apollo-era astronauts described Iceland as the most Moon-like location on Earth. For that reason, the same areas in Þingeyjarsýslur were selected again for training. In the summer of 2024, the four Artemis II astronauts trained in Iceland, including in the vicinity of Askja and Drekagil. “The same processes found on the Moon are present here—volcanism, basalts, and breccias—and the landscape has the right scale and appearance,” Evans said.
The earliest launch window for Artemis II opens from February 5 to 11, with launch planned no earlier than February 6. It is encouraging to see Iceland once again play a significant role in crewed missions to the Moon, and Húsavík.com will follow the mission closely, reporting in detail on the astronauts’ training in Iceland as the mission approaches.
