Mission Details
| Mission Name: ARTEMIS P2 |
| Mission Type: Lunar Orbiter |
| Operator: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) |
| Launching State: United States |
| Location: Lunar Orbit |
| Latitude: N/A |
| Longitude: N/A |
| Launch Date: 17 February 2007, 23:01:00 UT |
| Landing Date: N/A |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
NASA’s ARTEMIS mission (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun) is made up of two probes: P1 and P2. They were originally part of the successful THEMIS mission that orbited Earth and studied the aurora. NASA redirected the two probes to the Moon.
Read more:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/in-depth/
Heritage Consideration
ARTEMIS is the first mission to orbit the Moon’s Lagrangian points—points on either side of the Moon where the Moon and Earth’s gravity balance perfectly.
ARTEMIS-P2 arrived at the L1 Lagrange Point on 22 October 2010.
The two spacecraft, orbiting in opposite directions around the Moon, began to provide the first 3D measurements of the Moon’s magnetic field to determine its regional influence on solar wind particles. More specifically, they revealed new information on the lunar “wake” that extends about 12 lunar radii and in particular how its void distorts the interplanetary magnetic field causing it to bulge moonward.
Both spacecraft continue to operate in good health.
