Artemis II 是 NASA 载人绕月任务，原定在 2 月 8 日之后发射，属于对 1960–1970 年代 Apollo 计划的重启；此次要把 4 名太空人送往月球，完成含越过背面的绕月飞行，约 10 天后在太平洋溅落回收。周一晚间的「湿式彩排」因氢气外泄中止，发射延后到 3 月；同次测试也暴露 Orion 舱门压力阀问题与通讯中断。月球距地约 384,000 km，Artemis 以分阶段重返月面并在月球轨道建站为目标；Artemis I 已于 2022 年末完成无人绕月试飞，舱内 3 具假人配有辐射感测器。

这次延后凸显把人送离地球、即使目标是熟悉的月球仍高度危险且技术艰巨。发射准备碰上 Challenger 灾难 40 周年：Challenger 于 1986 年 1 月发射后 73 秒解体，与低温造成的元件失效相关；2003 年 Columbia 于再入时解体，7 名机组全数罹难。此次彩排还重新引发对 Orion 热防护罩的疑虑；NASA 表示材料安全。真正的登月风险更高：月球几乎无大气，缺乏对太阳风、宇宙辐射与微陨石的屏蔽；日间可达 121°C、夜间可降至 −133°C，永久阴影区更冷。

Artemis II 亦是 Artemis III 的前导；Artemis III 目标是在月球南极载人著陆，排程为 2028 年或更晚，且存在被中国抢先的地缘政治压力。中国已在月球背面取样返回，拥有自有太空站，计划 2030 年前后让 taikonauts 登月，并与俄罗斯提出于 2036 年建立永久月球基地。成本同样是核心约束：Artemis 被认为已花费逾 1,000 亿美元，仅太空衣合约就达 35 亿美元；Michael Bloomberg 于 2024 年称其为「巨大的纳税人浪费」，并指出无人任务通常更具成本效益。资源竞逐被点名为动机之一，例如氦-3 在地球罕见、报导价格约每公斤 2,000 万美元；同时任务也强调象征与代表性：Christina Koch 将成为首位绕月飞行女性，Victor Glover 为首位有色人种，Jeremy Hansen 为首位非美国籍太空人。

Artemis II is a NASA crewed lunar mission, originally due to launch after February 8 and positioned as a reboot of the 1960s–1970s Apollo program; it is meant to send four astronauts toward the Moon, complete a lunar orbit that includes passing the far side, and return for a Pacific splashdown about 10 days later. A “wet dress rehearsal” on Monday night was halted by a hydrogen leak, pushing the launch to March; the same rehearsal also exposed an Orion hatch pressure-valve issue and communications dropouts. The Moon is about 384,000 km away, and Artemis aims to return humans stepwise while placing a station in lunar orbit; Artemis I already flew an uncrewed loop around the Moon in late 2022 with three radiation-sensor mannequins aboard.

The delay underscores how dangerous and technically difficult it remains to launch people from Earth and bring them home safely, even to a familiar destination like the Moon. Preparations also coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster: Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch in January 1986 after cold-related component failure, and Columbia disintegrated on re-entry in 2003, killing all seven crew. The rehearsal has also revived debate about Orion’s heat shield; NASA says the material is safe. Moonwalk risk is higher: the Moon’s near-vacuum offers little shielding from solar wind, cosmic radiation, or incoming rocks; temperatures can hit 121°C by day and fall to −133°C at night, with permanently shadowed regions colder still.

Artemis II is also a precursor to Artemis III; Artemis III targets a crewed landing at the lunar south pole, scheduled for 2028 or later, under geopolitical pressure not to be beaten by China. China has already returned samples from the Moon’s far side, operates its own space station, aims to land taikonauts by 2030, and with Russia has proposed a permanent lunar base by 2036. Cost is a central constraint: Artemis is thought to have exceeded $100bn, with a $3.5bn spacesuit contract alone; Michael Bloomberg called it a “colossal waste of taxpayer money” in 2024, and uncrewed missions are framed as more cost-effective. Resource competition is cited as a driver, including helium-3, reported at about $20mn per kilogram, while the mission also highlights representation: Christina Koch is set to become the first woman to go around the Moon, Victor Glover the first person of color, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-American.