News Context: NASA has scheduled the rollout of the Artemis II mission for early February 2026, marking the first time humans will orbit the Moon in over 50 years.
- The Mission: A 10-day flight carrying four astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen) around the Moon.
- Trajectory: Unlike Artemis III (which will land), Artemis II follows a "Free-return Trajectory." If engines fail, lunar gravity will naturally "slingshot" the Orion spacecraft back to Earth.
- Key Tests:
- O2O System: Testing optical (laser) communications for high-speed data from deep space.
- Life Support: Rigorous testing of the Orion capsule's carbon dioxide scrubbing and radiation shielding.
- Wholistic Insight: This is the precursor to the Gateway lunar station. For India, this is significant as we recently joined the Artemis Accords, paving the way for a future Indian astronaut on a NASA mission.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
