Nasa gives update on first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years

Nasa held a news conference on Tuesday, 8 August, to provide an update on the Artemis II mission to send four astronauts around the moon and back to Earth.

Among the participants who spoke were the astronauts: Nasa administrator Bill Nelson, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, Artemis II pilot Victor Glover, and Artemis II mission specialists Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen.

Artemis II will be Nasa's first crewed moon mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Lasting approximately 10 days, the flight will "test Nasa's foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts and will pave the way for lunar surface missions, including landing the first woman and first person of colour on the moon," the space agency said.

The Artemis II crew will fly Orion beyond the moon before completing a lunar flyby and returning to Earth.