What is the name of the spacecraft designed to carry astronauts for NASA's Artemis II mission?

The spacecraft chosen to transport astronauts for NASA's Artemis II mission is a marvel of modern engineering, specifically designed for deep space exploration. This capsule is the only human-rated spacecraft capable of carrying a crew beyond low Earth orbit and safely returning them home, marking a significant leap in our journey back to the Moon and eventually to Mars. It is launched atop NASA's powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with the mission representing the first time a crewed spacecraft will venture beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Composed of a Crew Module, built by Lockheed Martin, and a European Service Module (ESM) provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), this spacecraft is equipped for the challenges of lunar travel. The ESM is crucial, supplying propulsion, electrical power, thermal control, and essential consumables like water and oxygen for the astronauts. With a habitable volume 57% larger than the Apollo capsules, it can sustain a crew of four for up to 21 days undocked. Its advanced systems include computers 20,000 times faster than those on Apollo, and a heat shield capable of withstanding temperatures up to 5,000°F during Earth re-entry.

The Artemis II mission itself is a critical test flight, designed to validate the spacecraft's systems and operations with a human crew onboard. The four astronauts will embark on a journey that will take them around the Moon on a free-return trajectory, pushing the boundaries of human spaceflight further than ever before. This mission will rigorously test life support, communication, and propulsion systems, and even include manual piloting demonstrations, all vital steps to ensure readiness for future lunar landings and the ambitious goal of sending humans to Mars.