Nasa is preparing for the historic launch of its first lunar fly-around mission in more than 50 years. Training for the Artemis II mission began soon after the crew was named in 2023, according to the mission’s chief training officer Jacki Mahaffey.

Much of training takes place in the Orion mission simulator at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where astronauts rehearse every phase of flight, run through possible contingencies, and practice communications with Mission Control.

The simulator replicates the look, feel and sounds of the real Orion spacecraft.