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NASA has chosen 34 global volunteers to track the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission, which will launch NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with a crew of four astronauts on a journey around the Moon. This mission is crucial for establishing a sustained presence on the Moon and preparing for future crewed missions to Mars.

Primary communications will be provided by NASA's Near Space Network and Deep Space Network, while volunteers will passively track Orion's radio waves over its 10-day journey. This collaboration, with no funds exchanged, aims to enhance NASA's assessment of the aerospace community's tracking capabilities.

Interest in tracking Artemis II has grown, with 47 ground assets from 14 countries participating, including organizations from Canada, Germany, Cameroon, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States. The initiative builds on lessons learned from the previous Artemis I mission in 2022.