Artemis II: 6. Halfway there

Artemis II: 6. Halfway there

From 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II by BBC World Service

April 4, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the Artemis II crew's journey to the Moon, including challenges like space junk and the Moon's resources.

Nasa’s Artemis II crew are now closer to the Moon than they are to Earth. Hosts astronaut Tim Peake and space scientist Maggie Aderin are joined by space journalist Kristin Fisher, who gives us the latest on the crew’s momentous journey, as the Integrity spacecraft begins its gentle deceleration before the point when the moon’s gravity starts pulling it more strongly than the earth’s. And the team answer a question from listener Mark. Has Artemis II had to dodge space junk on its way to the Moon, and if so, how is it detected and avoided? And planetary scientist Professor Sara Russell joins Tim, Maggie and Kristin to explain how the Moon got its water, what resources are drawing private companies to the Moon, and what a future lunar base would have to look like to withstand the Moon’s conditions. Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. 13 Minutes Presents Artemis Two is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service. Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin Producers: Alex Mansfield and Sophie Ormiston Series editor: Martin Smith

People in this episode

Hosts: Tim Peake, Maggie Aderin

Guests: Kristin Fisher, Professor Sara Russell

Topics covered

  • space exploration
  • Artemis II
  • Moon resources
  • space junk
  • lunar base

Keywords

  • Artemis II
  • Moon
  • space junk
  • lunar base
  • space exploration

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nasa, BBC World Service, Bleeding Fingers Music

Books & works: Season 4 theme music

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