The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States'

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...

(NASA), formally established in 2017 via

Space Policy Directive 1 The space policy of the first Donald Trump administration, as of December 2020, comprises six Space Policy Directives and an announced "National Space Strategy" (issued March 28, 2018), representing a directional shift from the policy priorities ...

. The program's stated long-term goal is to establish a permanent base on the Moon to facilitate

human missions to Mars The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940s as part of the broader exploration of Mars. Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the p ...

. It is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since the

Apollo 17 Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the eleventh and final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the sixth and most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon, ...

mission in 1972 and continue the direct exploration of Mars begun with data from the

Mariner 9 Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a robotic spacecraft that contributed greatly to the exploration of Mars and was part of the NASA Mariner program. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971, from Spaceport Florida Launch Comp ...

probe in the same year. Two principal elements of the Artemis program are derived from the now-cancelled

Constellation program The Constellation program (abbreviated CxP) was a crewed spaceflight program developed by NASA, the space agency of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. The major goals of the program were "completion of the International Space Station" and a " ...

: the

Orion spacecraft Orion (Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or Orion MPCV) is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA's Artemis program. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin that is paired with a Eu ...

(with the ESM instead of a US-built service module) and the

Space Launch System The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American Super heavy-lift launch vehicle, super heavy-lift Expendable launch system, expendable launch vehicle used by NASA. As the primary launch vehicle of the Artemis program, Artemis Moon landing progra ...

's solid rocket boosters (originally developed for the

Ares V The Ares V (formerly known as the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) was the planned cargo launch component of the cancelled NASA Constellation program, which was to have replaced the Space Shuttle after its retirement in 2011. Ares V was also plan ...

). Other elements of the program, such as the Lunar Gateway space station and the

Human Landing System A Human Landing System (HLS) is a spacecraft in the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Artemis program that is expected to land humans on the Moon. These are being ...

, are in development by government space agencies and

private spaceflight Private spaceflight is any spaceflight development that is not conducted by a government agency, such as NASA or ESA. During the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Union and United States pionee ...

companies, collaborations bound by the

Artemis Accords The Artemis Accords are a series of non-binding multilateral arrangements between the United States government and other world governments that elaborates on the norms expected to be followed in outer space. The Accords are related to the Artem ...

and governmental contracts. The Space Launch System, Orion spacecraft and the Human Landing System form the main

spaceflight Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly objects, usually spacecraft, into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and conducted mainly with spacecraft such ...

infrastructure for Artemis, and the Lunar Gateway plays a supporting role in human habitation. Supporting infrastructures for Artemis include the Commercial Lunar Payload Services, development of ground infrastructures,

Artemis Base Camp file:entering a Lunar Outpost.jpg, upright=1.6, Concept art from NASA showing astronauts entering a lunar outpost. (2006) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has proposed several concept moonbases for achieving a permanent pr ...

on the Moon, Moon rovers, and spacesuits. Some aspects of the program have been criticized, such as the use of a near-rectilinear halo orbit and the program's sustainability. Orion's first launch on the Space Launch System was originally set in 2016, but faced numerous delays; it launched on November 16, 2022 as the

Artemis I Artemis I, formerly Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), was an uncrewed Lunar orbit, Moon-orbiting mission that was launched in November 2022. As the first major spaceflight of NASA's Artemis program, Artemis I marked the agency's return to lunar e ...

mission, with robots and mannequins aboard. , the crewed

Artemis II Artemis II is a planned mission under the NASA-led Artemis program, set to be the second launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the first crewed flight of the Orion (spacecraft), Orion spacecraft. Scheduled to launch in early 2026, ...

launch is expected to take place in early 2026, the Artemis III crewed lunar landing is scheduled for mid-2027, the Artemis IV docking with the Lunar Gateway is planned for late 2028, the Artemis V docking with the European Space Agency's ESPRIT, Canada's Canadarm3, and NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle is planned for early 2030, and the Artemis VI docking which is expected to integrate the Crew and Science Airlock with the Lunar Gateway station is planned for early 2031. After Artemis VI, NASA plans yearly landings on the Moon from then on.

Overview

The Artemis program is organized around a series of SLS missions. These space missions will increase in complexity and are scheduled to occur at intervals of a year or more. NASA and its partners have planned Artemis I through Artemis V missions; later Artemis missions have also been proposed. Each SLS mission centers on the launch of an SLS launch vehicle carrying an

. Missions after Artemis II will depend on support missions launched by other organizations and spacecraft for support functions.

SLS missions

(2022) was the successful uncrewed test of the SLS and Orion, and was the first test flight for both craft. The Artemis I mission placed Orion into a lunar orbit and then returned to Earth. The SLS Block 1 design uses the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) second stage, which performs the trans-lunar injection burn to send Orion to lunar space. For Artemis I, Orion braked into a polar distant retrograde

lunar orbit In astronomy and spaceflight, a lunar orbit (also known as a selenocentric orbit) is an orbit by an object around Earth's Moon. In general these orbits are not circular. When farthest from the Moon (at apoapsis) a spacecraft is said to be at apo ...

and remained for about six days before boosting back toward Earth. The Orion capsule separated from its service module, re-entered the atmosphere for aerobraking, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean under parachutes.

(2026) is planned to be the first crewed test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft. The four crew members will perform extensive testing in Earth orbit, and Orion will then be boosted into a free-return trajectory around the Moon, which will return Orion to Earth for re-entry and splashdown. Launch is scheduled for no later than April 2026. Artemis III (2027) is planned to be the first American crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The mission depends on a support mission to place a Starship Human Landing System (HLS) in a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) of the Moon prior to the launch of SLS/Orion. After Starship HLS reaches NRHO, SLS/Orion will send the Orion spacecraft with a crew of four to dock with HLS. Two astronauts will transfer to HLS, which will descend to the lunar surface and spend about 6.5 days on the surface. The astronauts will perform at least two Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) on the surface before the HLS ascends to return them to a rendezvous with Orion. Orion will return the four astronauts to Earth. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than mid-2027. Artemis IV (2028) is planned to be the second crewed lunar landing mission. Orion and an upgraded Starship HLS will dock with the Lunar Gateway station in NRHO prior to the landing. A prior support mission will deliver the first two Lunar Gateway modules to NRHO. The extra power of this mission's SLS Block 1B will allow it to deliver the I-HAB Gateway module for connection to the Lunar Gateway. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than September 2028. Artemis V (2030) is planned to be the third crewed lunar landing, which will deliver four astronauts to the Lunar Gateway station. The mission will deliver the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

's ESPRIT refueling and communications module and Canadarm3, a Canadian-built robotic arm system for the Gateway. Also delivered will be NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than March 2030. The mission will also be the first to use

Blue Origin Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P. is an American space technology company headquartered in Kent, Washington. The company operates the suborbital New Shepard rocket and the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket. In addition to producing engines for its own ...

Blue Moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...

lander to take astronauts to the Moon's surface. Artemis VI (2031) is planned to be the fourth crewed lunar landing, which will integrate the Crew and Science Airlock with the Gateway space station. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than March 2031. As of 2024, the Airlock module is under construction. Artemis VII (2032) is planned to be the fifth crewed lunar landing, which will deliver the Habitable Mobility Platform ( Lunar Cruiser) to the surface of the moon on an SLS Block 1B rocket. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than March 2032. Artemis VIII (2033) is planned to be the sixth crewed lunar landing, which will have a lunar landing with the delivery of lunar surface logistics and the Foundational Surface Habitat using an SLS Block 1B rocket with the aid of Blue Origin. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than 2033. Artemis IX (2034) is planned to be the seventh crewed lunar landing, which will have another lunar landing with the delivery of additional lunar surface logistics. Unlike Artemis VIII, however, this mission will be the first to use an SLS Block 2 rocket. Artemis X (2035) is planned to be the eighth crewed lunar landing, which will feature the delivery of additional lunar surface logistics using an SLS Block 2 rocket, and will also include astronauts staying on the moon for an extended period of time. For many Artemis program missions, the Space Launch System's two solid rocket boosters' engines and casings and four main engines and the Orion spacecraft's main engine will all be previously flown

Space Shuttle main engines The RS-25, also known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine that was used on NASA's Space Shuttle and is used on the Space Launch System. Designed and manufactured in the United States by Rocketd ...

, solid rocket boosters, and Orbital Maneuvering System engines. They are refurbished legacy engines from the Space Shuttle program, some of which even date back to the early 1980s. For example, Artemis I had components that flew on 83 of the 135 Space Shuttle missions. From Artemis I to Artemis IV recycled Shuttle main engines will be used before manufacturing new engines. From Artemis I to Artemis III recycled Shuttle solid rocket boosters' engines and steel casings will be used before manufacturing new ones. From Artemis I to Artemis VI the Orion main engine will use six previously flown Space Shuttle OMS engines.

Support missions

Support missions include robotic landers, delivery of Gateway modules, Gateway logistics, delivery of the HLS, and delivery of elements of the Moon base. Most of these missions are executed under NASA contracts to commercial providers. Under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, several robotic landers will deliver scientific instruments and robotic rovers to the lunar surface after Artemis I. Additional CLPS missions are planned throughout the Artemis program to deliver payloads to the Moon base. These include habitat modules and rovers in support of crewed missions. A Human Landing System (HLS) is a spacecraft that can convey crew members from NRHO to the lunar surface, support them on the surface, and return them to NRHO. Each crewed landing needs one HLS, although some or all of the spacecraft may be reusable. Each HLS must be launched from Earth and delivered to NRHO in one or more launches. The initial commercial contract was awarded to SpaceX for two Starship HLS missions, one uncrewed and one crewed as part of Artemis III. These two missions each require one HLS launch and multiple fueling launches, all on

SpaceX Starship Starship is a two-stage fully reusable launch vehicle, reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by American aerospace company SpaceX. On 20 April 2023, with the Starship flight test 1, first Integrated Flight Test, Starship b ...

launchers. NASA later exercised an option under the initial contract to commission an upgraded Starship HLS for Artemis IV and a separate contract to

to develop a third crewed lunar lander, which will make its first crewed flight as part of the Artemis V mission. The first two Gateway modules (PPE and HALO) will be delivered to NRHO in a single launch using a

Falcon Heavy Falcon Heavy is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle with partial reusability that can carry cargo into Earth orbit and beyond. It is designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX. The rocket consists of a center core ...

launcher. Originally planned to be available prior to Artemis III, as of 2021 it is planned for availability before Artemis IV. The Gateway will be resupplied and supported by launches of Dragon XL spacecraft launched by Falcon Heavy. Each Dragon XL will remain attached to Gateway for up to six months. The Dragon XLs will not return to Earth, but will be disposed of, probably by deliberate crashes on the lunar surface.

History

Early history

The Artemis program incorporates several major components of previously cancelled

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

programs and missions, including the

and the

Asteroid Redirect Mission The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), also known as the Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization (ARU) mission and the Asteroid Initiative, was a space mission proposed by NASA in 2013; the mission was later cancelled. The Asteroid Retrieval Robotic ...

. Originally legislated by the

NASA Authorization Act of 2005 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

, Constellation included the development of

Ares I Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation program. The name "Ares" refers to the Greek deity Ares, who is interpretatio graeca, identified with the Roman god Mars (mythology), Mars. Ares I w ...

, and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. The program ran from the early 2000s until 2010. In May 2009, U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

established the Augustine Committee to take into account several objectives including support for the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

, development of missions beyond

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...

(including the Moon, Mars, and

near-Earth object A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body orbiting the Sun whose closest approach to the Sun ( perihelion) is less than 1.3 times the Earth–Sun distance (astronomical unit, AU). This definition applies to the object's orbit a ...

s), and use of the commercial space industry within defined budget limits. The committee concluded that the Constellation program was massively underfunded and that a 2020 Moon landing was impossible. Constellation was subsequently put on hold. On April 15, 2010, President Obama spoke at the Kennedy Space Center, announcing the administration's plans for NASA and cancelling the non-Orion elements of Constellation on the premise that the program had become nonviable. He instead proposed US$6 billion in additional funding and called for development of a new heavy-lift rocket program to be ready for construction by 2015 with crewed missions to Mars orbit by the mid-2030s. On October 11, 2010, President Obama signed into law the

NASA Authorization Act of 2010 The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 is a U.S. law authorizing NASA appropriations for fiscal years 2011, 2012, 2013 with the same top-line budget values as requested by US President Barack Obama. It resulted from the Augustine Commission's review ...

, which included requirements for the immediate development of the Space Launch System as a follow-on launch vehicle to the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

, and continued development of a

Crew Exploration Vehicle The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) was a component of the U.S. NASA Vision for Space Exploration plan. A competition was held to design a spacecraft that could carry humans to the destinations envisioned by the plan. The winning design was the ...

to be capable of supporting missions beyond low Earth orbit starting in 2016, while making use of the workforce, assets, and capabilities of the

Space Shuttle program The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its ...

, Constellation program, and other NASA programs. The law also invested in space technologies and robotics capabilities tied to the overall space exploration framework, ensured continued support for

Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) was a NASA program to spur the development of Private spaceflight, private spacecraft and launch vehicles for deliveries to the International Space Station (ISS). Launched in 2006, COTS successful ...

Commercial Resupply Services Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) are a series of flights awarded by NASA for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on commercially operated spacecraft. The first phase of CRS contracts (CRS-1) were sign ...

, and expanded the

Commercial Crew Development Development of the Commercial Crew Program (CCDev) began in the second round of the program, which was rescoped from a smaller technology development program for human spaceflight to a competitive development program that would produce the space ...

program. On June 30, 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

signed an executive order to re-establish the National Space Council, chaired by Vice-President

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

. The Trump administration's first budget request kept Obama-era human spaceflight programs in place: Commercial Resupply Services, Commercial Crew Development, the Space Launch System, and the Orion spacecraft for deep space missions, while reducing Earth science research and calling for the elimination of NASA's education office.

Redefinition and naming as Artemis

On December 11, 2017, president Trump signed

, a change in national space policy that provides for a U.S.-led, integrated program with private sector partners for a human return to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond. The policy calls for the NASA administrator to "lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

and international partners to enable human expansion across the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities". The effort intends to more effectively organize government, private industry, and international efforts toward returning humans to the Moon and laying the foundation of eventual human

exploration of Mars The planet Mars has been explored remotely by spacecraft. Uncrewed spacecraft, Probes sent from Earth, beginning in the late 20th century, have yielded a large increase in knowledge about the Martian system, focused primarily on understanding G ...

. Space Policy Directive 1 authorized the lunar-focused campaign. The campaign, later named Artemis, draws upon legacy US spacecraft programs, including the Orion space capsule, the

Lunar Gateway The Lunar Gateway, or simply Gateway, is a planned space station which is to be assembled in orbit around the Moon. The Gateway is intended to serve as a communication hub, science laboratory, and habitation module for astronauts as part ...

space station, and Commercial Lunar Payload Services, and creates entirely new programs such as the Human Landing System. The in-development Space Launch System is expected to serve as the primary launch vehicle for Orion, while commercial launch vehicles will launch various other elements of the program. On March 26, 2019, Vice President

announced that NASA's Moon landing goal would be accelerated by four years with a planned landing in 2024. On May 16, 2019, NASA Administrator

Jim Bridenstine James Frederick Bridenstine (born June 15, 1975) is an American military officer and politician who served as the 13th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Bridenstine was the United States representative ...

announced that the new program would be named

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

, after the goddess of the Moon in

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

who is the twin sister of

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

. Despite the immediate new goals, Mars missions by the 2030s were still intended . In mid-2019, NASA requested US$1.6 billion in additional funding for Artemis for fiscal year 2020, while the Senate Appropriations Committee requested from NASA a five-year budget profile which is needed for evaluation and approval by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. In February 2020, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

requested a funding increase of 12% to cover the Artemis program as part of its fiscal year 2021 budget. The total budget would have been US$25.2 billion per year with US$3.7 billion dedicated toward a Human Landing System. NASA Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit said he thought the agency has "a very good shot" to get this budget through Congress despite Democratic concerns around the program. However, in July 2020 the

House Appropriations Committee The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Co ...

rejected the White House's requested funding increase. The bill proposed in the House dedicated only US$700 million toward the Human Landing System, 81% (US$3 billion) short of the requested amount. In April 2020, NASA awarded funding to Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX for 10-month-long preliminary design studies for the HLS. Throughout February 2021, Acting Administrator of NASA

Steve Jurczyk Stephen G. Jurczyk (February 20, 1962 – November 23, 2023) was an American engineer who served as the Acting Administrator of NASA. He previously worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Education and career Jurczyk was a ...

reiterated those budget concerns when asked about the project's schedule, clarifying that "The 2024 lunar landing goal may no longer be a realistic target ... On February 4, 2021, the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

endorsed the Artemis program. More specifically, White House Press Secretary

Jen Psaki Jennifer Rene Psaki (; born December 1, 1978) is an American television political analyst and former government official. A political advisor who served under both the Obama and Biden administrations, she served the Biden administration as the ...

expressed the Biden administration's "support orthis effort and endeavor". On April 16, 2021, NASA contracted

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

to develop, manufacture, and fly two lunar landing flights with the Starship HLS lunar lander. Blue Origin and Dynetics protested the award to the

Government Accountability Office The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the s ...

(GAO) on April 26. After the GAO rejected the protests, Blue Origin sued NASA over the award, and NASA agreed to stop work on the contract until November 1, 2021 as the lawsuit proceeded. The judge dismissed the suit on 4 November 2021 and NASA resumed work with SpaceX. On September 25, 2021, NASA released its first digital, interactive graphic novel in celebration of National Comic Book Day. "First Woman: NASA's Promise for Humanity" is the fictional story of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon. In March 2025, with the

diversity, equity, and inclusion policies of the second Trump administration During the early days of the second presidency of Donald Trump, federal policies regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), in addition to sometimes accessibility (DEIA), have undergone significant change. Trump attributed societal probl ...

, this was removed from NASA's web pages, together with other information about the graphic novel. On November 15, 2021, an audit of NASA's Office of Inspector General estimated the true cost of the Artemis program at about $93 billion until 2025. In addition to the initial SpaceX contract, NASA awarded two rounds of separate contracts in May 2019 and September 2021, on aspects of the HLS to encourage alternative designs, separately from the initial HLS development effort. It announced in March 2022 that it was developing new sustainability rules and pursuing both a Starship HLS upgrade (an option under the initial SpaceX contract) and new competing alternative designs. These came after criticism from members of Congress over lack of redundancy and competition, and led NASA to ask for additional support.

Artemis I (2022)

Artemis I was originally scheduled for late 2016, and as delays accrued, eventually for late 2021, but the launch date was then pushed back to August 29, 2022. Various delays related to final infrastructure repairs and weather pushed the launch date further out. In October 2022, NASA launch managers decided on a new launch date in November, which were again slightly delayed due to preparation and weather. On November 16 at 01:47:44 EST (06:47:44 UTC), Artemis I successfully launched from the

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...

. Artemis I was completed at 09:40 PST (17:40 UTC) on 11 December, when the Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, after a record-breaking mission, which saw Artemis travel more than on a path around the Moon before returning safely to Earth. The splashdown occurred 50 years to the day since NASA's

Moon landing, the last human crewed mission to touch down on the lunar surface.

Artemis II (2026)

Artemis II is scheduled to launch in early 2026 as a crewed lunar flyby. The

European Service Module The European Service Module (ESM) is the service module component of the Orion (spacecraft), Orion spacecraft, serving as its primary power and propulsion component until it is discarded at the end of each mission. In January 2013, NASA announced ...

for the mission was completed and handed over to NASA in 2023. Testing is underway on the Orion module for Artemis II. In April 2024, Lockheed was on track to hand over the Orion module by September after testing was complete. A NASA OIG report released on May 1 reported the mission was still on track, provided corrective actions on the Orion heat shield were made. The Artemis II crew planned to conduct a series of trainings and simulations prior to launch, the first of which occurred in May 2024. The SLS core stage for the mission was delivered to

(KSC) in July 2024. Notably, the SLS core stage for Artemis II was the last to be fully built at the

Michoud Assembly Facility The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is an industrial complex for the manufacture and assembly line, structural assembly of aerospace vehicles and components. It is owned by NASA and located in Eastern New Orleans, New Orleans East, a section of N ...

: future missions starting with Artemis III will have the core stage partly built after arriving at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, managed by

Exploration Ground Systems NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program is one of three programs based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. EGS was established to develop and operate the systems and facilities necessary to process and launch rockets and spacecraft ...

, which was deemed to be more efficient by program officials. In July, the Orion spacecraft was moved from the testing cell to the altitude chamber inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at KSC. Rocket stacking operations began on November 20, 2024, when the left aft assembly of the booster was stacked onto the Mobile Launcher. The stacking marked a crucial step for launch in late 2025. On December 5, 2024, NASA delayed the Artemis II mission from September 2025 to April 2026, citing damage found to the heat shield of the uncrewed Orion capsule that flew on the Artemis I mission in 2022. In March 2025, however, NASA announced in a statement to AmericaSpace that the mission might be accelerated and that the launch date could potentially be moved up by two months to February 2026, though this potential move has not been confirmed as of yet. In the statement, NASA's Public Affairs Office said: "We're looking for ways to enable an earlier launch if possible, potentially launching as soon as February 2026. A February target allows the agency to capitalize on efficiencies in the flow of operations to integrate the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems while maintaining crew safety as the top priority."

Crew

Artemis II is to be crewed by four astronauts: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot

Victor J. Glover Victor Jerome Glover (born April 30, 1976) is a NASA astronaut of the class of NASA Astronaut Group 21, 2013 and pilot on the USCV-1, first operational flight of the SpaceX Dragon 2, SpaceX Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. and McD ...

, Payload Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen. * * * * Jenni Sidey-Gibbons is Hansen's backup; she will join the mission if Hansen is unable to. Glover, Koch, and Hansen are planned to be the first

person of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

, woman, and non-US citizen to go beyond

, respectively. Hansen and Sidey-Gibbons are

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

and have been assigned by the

Canadian Space Agency The Canadian Space Agency (CSA; ) is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the ''Canadian Space Agency Act''. The President of the Canadian Space Agency, president is Lisa Campbell (civil servant), Lisa Campbell, who took ...

; a 2020 treaty between the United States and Canada led to their involvement.

Artemis III (2027)

Artemis III is expected to launch in mid-2027 as the first crewed landing on the Moon since Apollo 17. In February 2024, NASA completed full qualification testing of the docking systems on Starship HLS. Also in February, the bulk of the manufacturing for the core stage of the SLS to be used in the mission was completed. In April 2024, NASA announced the successful completion of Starship’s first internal propellant transfer demonstration. The Starship’s tanker variant ability to act as an orbital propellant depot to Starship HLS is a key capability necessary to complete the Artemis III mission. A ship-to-ship propellant transfer demonstration to further prove out the capability is expected in 2025. The

for the mission was reported on track to be handed over to NASA in summer 2024. The first integrated test for the mission, which included the next generation space suits developed by Axiom Space, and the airlock module of Starship HLS was conducted in June 2024. On December 5, 2024, NASA delayed the Artemis III mission from September 2026 to mid-2027, citing damage found to the heat shield of the uncrewed Orion capsule that flew on the Artemis I mission in 2022.

Instruments and payloads

In March 2024, NASA announced the scientific instruments to be included on the mission were a compact, autonomous seismometer suite called the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, or LEMS. LEMS will characterize the regional structure of the Moon's crust and mantle to inform the development of lunar formation and evolution models. Another instrument is Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora, a.k.a. LEAF, which will investigate the impact of the lunar surface environment on space crops. The third instrument is the Lunar Dielectric Analyzer, or LDA, an internationally contributed payload that will measure the regolith's ability to propagate an electric field.

Artemis IV (2028)

Artemis IV is expected to launch in September 2028. Prior to the launch of the mission, a

is planned to launch the first two

elements: the

Power and Propulsion Element The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), previously known as the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle propulsion system, is a planned solar electric ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is con ...

and

Habitation and Logistics Outpost The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO),

(I-Hab) and adding the module to the Gateway space station. SLS Block 1B manufacture began in March 2024. The I-Hab module construction was underway as of April 2024. In May 2024, it was reported NASA made significant progress towards completion of Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), the launch platform that will be used by the larger SLS Block 1B. However, in August 2024, the NASA Inspector General estimated that the launch platform could end up costing the agency $2.5 billion, more than six times its original value and may not be ready to support a launch until 2029, making the current launch schedule unrealistic. NASA has highlighted five key points for the mission (in chronological order): * The crewed Orion spacecraft and Lunar I-Hab Gateway element will launch as a co-manifested payload on an SLS Block 1B rocket to lunar orbit. * Orion will deliver Lunar I-Hab to Gateway, where it will dock to HALO. * A Human Landing System spacecraft will dock to Gateway. * Artemis IV crew members will use the Human Landing System to descend to and later ascend from the lunar surface. * Artemis IV crew will return to Earth on Orion.

Artemis V (2030)

Artemis V is expected to launch in March 2030. The mission will launch four astronauts on a Space Launch System rocket and an Orion spacecraft to the

and will be the third lunar landing of the Artemis program. In addition, Artemis V will deliver two new elements to the Gateway space station. After docking to the Gateway, two astronauts will board the

lunar lander and fly it to the

Lunar south pole The lunar south pole is the southernmost point on the Moon. It is of interest to scientists because of the lunar water, occurrence of water ice in Crater of eternal darkness, permanently shadowed areas around it. The lunar south pole region fea ...

to land near the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV). This will be the first lunar landing since

to use an unpressurized lunar rover. NASA has highlighted five key points for the mission (in chronological order): * The crewed Orion spacecraft and the Lunar View element will launch as a co-manifested payload on an SLS Block 1B rocket to lunar orbit. * Orion will deliver Lunar View to Gateway, where it will dock to HALO. * A Human Landing System spacecraft will dock to Gateway. * Artemis V crew members will use the Human Landing System to descend to and later ascend from the lunar surface. * Artemis V crew will return to Earth on Orion.

Artemis VI (2031)

Artemis VI is expected to launch in March 2031. According to NASA, the primary objectives of this mission would be to integrate the

Crew and Science Airlock Module The Crew and Science Airlock Module is designed as an airlock module of the Lunar Gateway station, to be built by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Background The airlock module is meant to facilitate transfers to and from the habitation ...

with Gateway and complete the fourth crewed lunar surface expedition of the Artemis missions. As of 2024, the Airlock module is under construction by

Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC, ) is a Government of Dubai, Dubai Government organization working on the UAE space program, which includes various Satellite, space satellites projects, such as the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates ...

. NASA has highlighted five key points for the mission (in chronological order): * The crewed Orion spacecraft and Gateway’s Crew and Science Airlock will launch as a co-manifested payload on an SLS Block 1B rocket to lunar orbit. * Orion will deliver the Crew and Science Airlock to Gateway, where it will dock to Lunar I-Hab. * A Human Landing System spacecraft will dock to Gateway. * Artemis VI crew members will use the Human Landing System to descend to and later ascend from the lunar surface. * Artemis VI crew will return to Earth on Orion.

Artemis VII (2032)

Artemis VII is expected to launch in March 2032. According to NASA, the objectives of this mission would be to deliver the Habitable Mobility Platform ( Lunar Cruiser) to the surface of the moon on an SLS Block 1B rocket. The mission is expected to last around 30 days.

Artemis VIII (2033)

Artemis VIII is expected to launch in 2033. According to NASA, the mission would have a lunar landing with the delivery of lunar surface logistics and the Foundational Surface Habitat using an SLS Block 1B rocket with the aid of Blue Origin. The mission is expected to last around 60 days.

Artemis IX (2034)

Artemis IX is expected to launch in 2034. According to NASA, the mission will have another lunar landing with the delivery of additional lunar surface logistics. Unlike Artemis VIII, however, this mission will be the first to use an SLS Block 2 rocket. The mission is expected to last around 60 days.

Artemis X (2035)

Artemis X is planned to launch in 2035. According to NASA, this mission will feature the delivery of additional lunar surface logistics, and will also include astronauts staying on the moon long-term. The mission is expected to last up to 180 days.

Future

As of 2025, additional missions beyond Artemis X have not officially been discussed. Additionally, the NASA Inspector General has stated that the current launch timeline is "unrealistic" and will likely be further delayed.

Supporting programs

Implementation of the Artemis program will require additional programs, projects, and commercial launchers to support the construction of the Lunar Gateway, launch resupply missions to the station, and deploy numerous robotic spacecraft and instruments to the lunar surface. Several precursor robotic missions are being coordinated through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which is dedicated to scouting and characterization of

lunar resources An artificially colored mosaic constructed from a series of 53 images taken through three spectral filters by ''Galileo's'' imaging system as the spacecraft flew over the northern regions of the Moon on 7 December 1992. The colors indicate d ...

as well as testing principles for

in-situ resource utilization In space exploration, in situ resource utilization (ISRU) is the practice of collection, processing, storing and use of materials found or manufactured on other astronomical objects (the Moon, Mars, asteroids, etc.) that replace materials th ...

(ISRU).

Commercial Lunar Payload Services

In March 2018,

established the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program with the aim of sending small robotic landers and rovers mostly to the

lunar south pole region The lunar south pole is the southernmost point on the Moon. It is of interest to scientists because of the occurrence of water ice in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lunar south pole region features craters that are unique in that t ...

as a precursor to and in support of crewed missions. The main goals include scouting of

, ISRU feasibility testing, and lunar science. NASA is awarding commercial providers

indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity In U.S. Federal government contracting, IDIQ is an abbreviation of the term indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity. This is a type of contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period of time. The leg ...

contracts to develop and fly lunar landers with scientific payloads. The first phase considered proposals capable of delivering at least of payload by the end of 2021. Proposals for mid-sized landers capable of delivering between and of cargo were planned to also be considered for launch beyond 2021. In November 2018, NASA announced the first nine companies that were qualified to bid on the CLPS transportation service contracts (see list below). On 31 May 2019, three of those were awarded lander contracts:

Astrobotic Technology Astrobotic Technology, Inc., commonly referred to as Astrobotic, is an American private company that is developing space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions. It was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker a ...

Intuitive Machines Intuitive Machines, Inc. is an American space exploration company headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian, and Tim Crain, to provide commercial and government exploration of the Moon. Today the ...

, and

OrbitBeyond Orbit Beyond, Inc., usually stylized as ORBITBeyond, is an aerospace company that builds technologies for lunar exploration. Its products include configurable delivery lunar landers with a payload capacity of up to , and rovers. On July 1, 2019, NASA announced the selection of twelve additional payloads, provided by universities and industry. Seven of these are scientific investigations while five are technology demonstrations. The Lunar Surface Instrument and Technology Payloads (LSITP) program was soliciting payloads in 2019 that do not require significant additional development. They will include technology demonstrators to advance lunar science or the commercial development of the Moon. In November 2019, NASA added five contractors to the group of companies who are eligible to bid to send large payloads to the surface of the Moon under the CLPS program:

Ceres Robotics Ceres Robotics Inc. is a private, commercial company dedicated to the development and manufacturing of robotic lunar landers and rovers. In November 2019, Ceres Robotics was granted the right to bid on contracts by NASA's Commercial Lunar Paylo ...

Sierra Nevada Corporation Sierra Nevada Corporation (also styled SNC) is an American aerospace, defense, electronics, engineering and manufacturing corporation that specializes in aircraft modification, integration and other space technologies. The corporation contracts ...

, and

Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems was an American company that designed and built satellites. It started as a designer, builder and provider of nanosatellite and CubeSat space vehicle products and services for government and commercial customers. T ...

. In April 2020, NASA selected

Masten Space Systems Masten Space Systems was an aerospace manufacturer startup company in Mojave, California (formerly in Santa Clara, California) that was developing a line of vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rockets, initially for uncrewed research s ...

for a follow-on CLPS delivery of cargo to the Moon in 2022. On June 23, 2021, Masten Space Systems announced it was delayed until November 2023. Dave Masten, the founder and chief technology officer, blamed the delay on the COVID pandemic and industry-wide supply chain issues. In February 2021, NASA selected

Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an American private aerospace firm based in Cedar Park, Texas, that develops small- and medium-lift launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit. The current company was formed when the assets of the former co ...

for a CLPS launch to

Mare Crisium Mare Crisium (Latin ''crisium'', the "Sea of Crises") is a lunar mare located in the Moon's Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. Mare Crisium is a basin of Nectarian age. It was formed by the flooding of basaltic lava that fill ...

in mid-2023.

International contractors

Artemis Accords

On May 5, 2020,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

reported that the

Trump administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

was drafting a new international agreement outlining the laws for mining on the Moon. NASA Administrator

officially announced the Artemis Accords on May 15, 2020. It consists of a series of multilateral agreements between the governments of participating nations in the Artemis program "grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967". The Artemis Accords have been criticized by some American researchers as "a concerted, strategic effort to redirect international space cooperation in favor of short-term U.S. commercial interests".

Exploration Ground Systems (EGS)

The Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program is one of three NASA programs based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. EGS was established to develop and operate the systems and facilities necessary to process and launch rockets and spacecraft during assembly, transport, and launch. EGS is preparing the infrastructure to support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its payloads, such as the

for Artemis I.

Gateway Logistics Services

The

is a space station to be constructed in lunar orbit, and the Gateway Logistics Services program will provide cargo and other supplies to the station, even when crews are not present. , only SpaceX's supply vehicle, known as Dragon XL, is planned to supply the Gateway. Dragon XL is a version of the

Dragon spacecraft Dragon is a family of spacecraft developed and produced by American private space transportation company SpaceX. The first variant, later named Dragon 1, flew 23 cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS) between 2010 and 2020 be ...

, to be launched by the

. Unlike

Dragon 2 Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed, manufactured, and operated by the American space company SpaceX for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and private spaceflight missions. The spacecraft, which cons ...

and its predecessor, it is intended to be an expendable spacecraft.

Supporting Earth-launch vehicles

As of the early mission concepts outlined by NASA in May 2020 and refined by the HLS contract award in July 2021, the primary Earth-launch vehicles planned to support the Artemis program will include the NASA Space Launch System for the Orion vehicle, the

for various components of the

, and the Starship HLS configuration for the eventual delivery of the HLS vehicle. Other standard SpaceX Starships may be used later to meet other and yet to be determined crew and/or cargo handling mission needs. Additional launch vehicles will also be employed later for CLPS cargo services. The European

Ariane 6 Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) and manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor ArianeGroup. As part of the Ariane rocket family, it is operate ...

has been proposed to be part of the program in July 2019. The

(PPE) module and the

Habitation and Logistics Outpost The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO),

(GLS) will be in charge of resupply missions. GLS has also contracted for the construction of a resupply vehicle, Dragon XL, capable of remaining docked to the Gateway for one year of operations, providing and generating its own power while docked, and capable of autonomous disposal at the end of its mission. In May 2019, the plan was for components of a crewed lunar lander to be deployed to the Gateway on commercial launchers before the arrival of the first crewed mission, Artemis III. An alternative approach where the HLS and Orion dock together directly was discussed. As late as mid-2019, NASA considered use of

Delta IV Heavy The Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) was an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle, the largest type of the Delta IV family. It had the highest capacity of any operational launch vehicle in the world after the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 20 ...

and Falcon Heavy to launch a crewed Orion mission given SLS delays. Given the complexity of conversion to a different vehicle, the agency ultimately decided to use only the SLS to launch astronauts. LEO: Low Earth Orbit
TLI: Trans-Lunar Injection

Space Launch System

The

(SLS) is a United States super heavy-lift

expendable launch vehicle An expendable launch system (or expendable launch vehicle/ELV) is a launch vehicle that can be launched only once, after which its components are destroyed during reentry or impact with Earth, or discarded in space. ELVs typically consist of s ...

, which has been under development since its announcement in 2011. The SLS is the main Earth-launch vehicle of the Artemis lunar program, . NASA is required by the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

to use SLS Block 1, which will be powerful enough to lift a

payload Payload is the object or the entity that is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of t ...

of to

(LEO), and will launch

, II, and III. Starting in 2028, Block 1B is intended to debut the

Exploration Upper Stage The Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) is a rocket stage under development for future flights of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). Designed for use on the SLS Block 1B and Block 2 configurations, it will replace the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion ...

(EUS) and launch the notional Artemis IV–VII. Starting in 2029, Block 2 is planned to replace the initial Shuttle-derived boosters with advanced boosters and would have a LEO capability of more than , again as required by Congress. Block 2 is intended to enable crewed launches to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. The SLS will launch the

and use the ground operations capabilities and launch facilities at NASA's

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

In March 2019, the

released its Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request for NASA. This budget did not initially include any money for the Block 1B and Block 2 variants of SLS, but later a request for a budget increase of $1.6 billion towards SLS, Orion, and crewed landers was made. Block 1B is now intended to debut on Artemis IV and will be used mainly for co-manifested crew transfers and logistics rather than constructing the Gateway as initially planned. An uncrewed Block 1B was planned to launch the Lunar Surface Asset in 2028, the first lunar outpost of the Artemis program, but now that launch has been moved to a commercial launcher. Block 2 development will most likely start in the late 2020s after NASA is regularly visiting the lunar surface and shifts focus towards Mars. In October 2019, NASA authorized

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

to purchase materials in bulk for more SLS rockets ahead of the announcement of a new contract. The contract was expected to support up to ten core stages and eight

s for the SLS 1B to transfer heavy payloads of up to 40 metric tons on a lunar trajectory.

Potential cancellation

Boeing, the main contractor for the SLS, informed its employees working on the rocket on 7 February 2025 that they may be laid off when its contract expires, suggesting the

Trump Administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

may propose canceling the SLS. The release of Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal for NASA on 2 May 2025 involved cutting $6 billion (24%) from NASA's $24.8 billion budget and allocating $1 billion to SpaceX. If approved, the budget will cancel the SLS and Orion spacecraft after Artemis III due to the SLS's cost of $4 billion per launch, as well as the

SpaceX Starship

The SpaceX Starship system is a fully-reusable super heavy-lift Earth-launch system which is under development. It consists of a first-stage booster named Super-Heavy and a second-stage space vehicle which is generally named

Starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1 ...

and which will have several variants. A Starship HLS mission will use three variants: a tanker, a propellant depot, and the Starship HLS itself which will be designed only for lunar landings and takeoffs, and not for Earth landings. Some variants will be able to return to Earth for reuse. The second-stage Starships are fully self-contained spacecraft, complete with their own propulsion systems. The combined Starship system using standard Starship variants for its second-stage is planned to launch crews and cargo, which may then be used to support the various developmental needs of the Artemis program, and also to support the needs of other NASA and SpaceX programs. The SpaceX Starship is also qualified to be bid for Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launches, and in 2021 was the winning NASA bid for a crewed lunar landing.As Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon
NASA. Apr 16, 2021. By Monica Witt. Retrieved 2023-04-16.

Falcon Heavy

The SpaceX Falcon Heavy is a partially reusable heavy-lift launcher. It will be used to launch the first two Gateway modules into NRHO. It will also be used to launch the Dragon XL spacecraft on supply missions to Gateway, and it is qualified to be bid for other launches under the CLPS program. It was selected under CLPS to launch the VIPER mission, though this mission was later cancelled in 2024 due to cost overruns and mission delays.

CLPS launchers

Under the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Service) program, qualified CLPS vendors can use any launcher that meets their mission requirements.

Space vehicles

Orion

Orion is a class of partially reusable spacecraft to be used in the Artemis program. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM)

space capsule A space capsule is a spacecraft designed to transport cargo, scientific experiments, and/or astronauts to and from space. Capsules are distinguished from other spacecraft by the ability to survive reentry and return a payload to the Earth's surfa ...

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

and the

(ESM) manufactured by

Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus SE. Formed in 2014 in the restructuring of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), Airbus SE comprises the former Airbus Military, Astrium, and divisions. Contributing 21% of Airbus reven ...

. Capable of supporting a crew of six beyond

, Orion is equipped with

solar panels A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

, an automated docking system, and

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features an array of electronic (digital) flight instrument display device, displays, typically large liquid-crystal display, LCD screens, rather than traditional Analog device, analog dials and gauges ...

interfaces modeled after those used in the

Boeing 787 Dreamliner The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, wh ...

. It has a single

AJ10 The AJ10 is a hypergolic rocket engine manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne (previously Aerojet). It has been used to propel the upper stages of several launch vehicles, including the Delta II and Titan III. Variants were and are used as the servic ...

engine for primary propulsion, and others including

reaction control system A reaction control system (RCS) is a spacecraft system that uses Thrusters (spacecraft), thrusters to provide Spacecraft attitude control, attitude control and translation (physics), translation. Alternatively, reaction wheels can be used for at ...

engines. Although designed to be compatible with other

launch vehicle A launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage ...

s, Orion is primarily intended to launch atop a

(SLS) rocket, with a tower

launch escape system A launch escape system (LES) or launch abort system (LAS) is a crew-safety system connected to a space capsule. It is used in the event of a critical emergency to quickly separate the capsule from its launch vehicle in case of an emergency requiri ...

. Orion was originally conceived by Lockheed Martin as a proposal for the

(CEV) to be used in NASA's

. Following the cancellation of the Constellation program in 2010, Orion was heavily redesigned for use in NASA's Journey to Mars initiative; later named Moon to Mars. The

SLS SLS may refer to the Space Launch System, a launch vehicle developed by NASA. It may also refer to: Education * Stanford Law School, California, U.S. * Sydney Law School, Australia * Symbiosis Law School, India * Same language subtitling, of ...

replaced the

as Orion's primary launch vehicle, and the service module was replaced with a design based on the

Automated Transfer Vehicle The Automated Transfer Vehicle, originally Ariane Transfer Vehicle or ATV, was an expendable automated cargo spacecraft, cargo spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), used for space cargo transport in 2008–2015. The ATV desi ...

. A development version of Orion's CM was launched in 2014 during

Exploration Flight Test-1 Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1 (previously known as Orion Flight Test 1 or OFT-1) was a technology demonstration mission and the first flight test of the crew module portion of the Orion spacecraft. Without a crew, it was launched on 5&nb ...

, while at least four test articles were produced. By 2022, three flight-worthy Orion crew modules have been built, with an additional one ordered, for use in the Artemis program; the first of these was due to be launched on 30 November 2020, however

did not launch until 16 November 2022. Gateway Space Station Module Map

Dragon XL

Human Landing System (HLS)

The Human Landing System (HLS) is a critical component of the Artemis mission. This system transports crew from lunar orbit (the Gateway or an Orion spacecraft) to the lunar surface, acts as a lunar habitat, and then transports the crew back to lunar orbit. In 2021 SpaceX's Starship HLS program was awarded the winning NASA bid for the production of a crewed lunar landing vehicle. In May 2023,

was selected as the second provider for lunar lander services.

Early developmental history of the HLS vehicle

Bidding for NASA's HLS lunar landing vehicle began in 2019. At that time, NASA elected to have the HLS designed and developed by commercial vendors. Eleven competing contracts were initially awarded in May 2019. In April 2020, NASA awarded three competing design contracts, and in April 2021, NASA selected the Starship HLS to proceed to development and production. Separate from its early design and development program for its first HLS spacecraft, NASA retains multiple smaller contracts to study various elements of alternative HLS designs.

Starship HLS

The Starship Human Landing System (Starship HLS) was the winner selected by NASA for potential use for long-duration crewed lunar landings as part of NASA's Artemis program. Starship HLS is a variant of SpaceX's

Starship spacecraft Starship is a spacecraft and second stage under development by American aerospace company SpaceX. Stacked atop its booster, Super Heavy, the pair compose SpaceX's super heavy-lift space vehicle, also called Starship. The spacecraft is designed ...

optimized to operate on and around the Moon. In contrast to the Starship spacecraft from which it derives, Starship HLS will never re-enter an atmosphere, so it does not have a

heat shield In engineering, a heat shield is a component designed to protect an object or a human operator from being burnt or overheated by dissipating, reflecting, and/or absorbing heat. The term is most often used in reference to exhaust heat management a ...

flight control surface Flight control surfaces are aerodynamic devices allowing a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's flight attitude. The primary function of these is to control the aircraft's movement along the three axes of rotation. Flight control surfaces ...

s. In contrast to other proposed HLS designs that used multiple stages, the entire spacecraft will land on the Moon and will then launch from the Moon. Like other Starship variants, Starship HLS has

Raptor Raptor(s) or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of avian and non-avian dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunt ...

engines mounted at the tail as its primary propulsion system. However, when it is within "tens of meters" of the lunar surface during descent and ascent, it will use high-thrust methane/oxygen RCS thrusters located mid-body instead of the Raptors to avoid raising dust via plume impingement. A solar array located on the nose below the docking port provides electrical power. Elon Musk stated that Starship HLS would be able to deliver "potentially up to 200 tons" to the lunar surface. Starship HLS would be launched to Earth orbit using the SpaceX Super Heavy booster, and would use a series of tanker spacecraft to refuel the Starship HLS vehicle in Earth orbit for lunar transit and lunar landing operations, a capability referred to as orbital refueling. Starship HLS would then boost itself to lunar orbit for rendezvous with Orion. In the mission concept, a NASA Orion spacecraft would carry a NASA crew to the lander, where they would depart and descend to the surface of the Moon. After lunar surface operations, Starship HLS would lift off from the lunar surface acting as a

single-stage-to-orbit A single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle reaches orbit from the surface of a body using only propellants and fluids and without expending tanks, engines, or other major hardware. The term usually, but not exclusively refers to reusable launch sys ...

(SSTO) vehicle and return the crew to Orion.

Blue Origin HLS

On May 19, 2023, NASA announced an additional contract to Blue Origin to develop a second crewed lunar lander, which will make its first crewed flight as part of the Artemis V mission. Blue Moon is smaller than the SpaceX HLS lander, having only 20 tons of payload capacity. The lander is fueled with a combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

Lunar Gateway

NASA's Gateway is an in-development mini-space station in

intended to serve as a solar-powered communication hub, science laboratory, short-term habitation module, and holding area for rovers and other robots. While the project is led by NASA, the Gateway is meant to be developed, serviced, and used in collaboration with commercial and international partners: Canada (

) (CSA), Europe (

) (ESA), and Japan (

JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into o ...

). The

(PPE) started development at the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

during the now canceled

(ARM). The original concept was a robotic, high performance solar electric spacecraft that would retrieve a multi-ton boulder from an asteroid and bring it to lunar orbit for study. When ARM was canceled, the solar electric propulsion was repurposed for the Gateway. The PPE will allow access to the entire lunar surface and act as a

space tug ''Space Tug'' is a young adult fiction, young adult science fiction novel by author Murray Leinster. It was published in 1953 in literature, 1953 by Shasta Publishers in an edition of 5,000 copies. It is the second novel in the author's Joe K ...

for visiting craft. It will also serve as the command and communications center of the Gateway. The PPE is intended to have a mass of 8–9 tonnes and the capability to generate 50 kW of solar electric power for its

ion thruster An ion thruster, ion drive, or ion engine is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. An ion thruster creates a cloud of positive ions from a neutral gas by ionizing it to extract some electrons from its atoms. The i ...

s, which can be supplemented by chemical propulsion. The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), also called the Minimal Habitation Module (MHM) and formerly known as the Utilization Module, will be built by

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in February 9, 2015 from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Orbital ATK designed, built, and deli ...

(NGIS). A single Falcon Heavy equipped with an extended fairing will launch the PPE together with the HALO in 2027. The HALO is based on a Cygnus Cargo resupply module to the outside of which radial docking ports, body mounted radiators (BMRs), batteries and communications antennae will be added. The HALO will be a scaled-down habitation module, yet, it will feature a functional pressurized volume providing sufficient command, control, and data handling capabilities, energy storage and power distribution, thermal control, communications and tracking capabilities, two axial and up to two radial docking ports, stowage volume, environmental control and

life support system A life-support system is the combination of equipment that allows survival in an environment or situation that would not support that life in its absence. It is generally applied to systems supporting human life in situations where the outside ...

s to augment the Orion spacecraft and support a crew of four for at least 30 days. In late October 2020, NASA and

(ESA) finalized an agreement to collaborate in the Gateway program. ESA will provide a habitat module in partnership with

(I-HAB) and a refueling module ( ESPRIT). In return, Europe will have three flight opportunities to launch crew aboard the Orion crew capsule, for which they will provide the service module. In 2024, the HALO module reached substantial completion and entered into the stress test phase, following successful completion of which it will be shipped from Europe to the US in preparation for configuration with the PPE module and launch.

Astronauts

On January 10, 2020, NASA's 22nd astronaut group, nicknamed the "Turtles", graduated and were assigned to the Artemis program. The group includes two

(CSA) astronauts. The group earned their nickname from the prior astronaut group, " The 8-Balls", as is a tradition dating back to " The Mercury Seven" in 1962 which subsequently provided the " Next Nine" with their nickname. They were given this name, for the most part, because of

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

. Some of the astronauts will fly on the Artemis missions to the Moon and may be part of the first crew to fly to Mars.

Artemis team

On December 9, 2020,

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

announced the first group of 18 astronauts (all American, including 9 male and 9 female from different backgrounds), the 1st Artemis team, who could be selected as astronauts of early missions of the Artemis program: * Joe Acaba *

Kayla Barron Kayla Jane Barron ( Sax; born September 19, 1987) is an American submarine warfare officer, engineer, and NASA astronaut. She was selected in June 2017 as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 22, and later qualified as an astronaut in 2020. She t ...

Raja Chari Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari (born June 24, 1977) is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and has over 2,000 flyi ...

* Matthew Dominick * Victor Glover * Warren Hoburg *

Jonny Kim Jonathan Yong "Jonny" Kim (born 5 February 1984) is an American astronaut with NASA, physician, United States Navy, U.S. Navy officer, flight surgeon, naval aviator, and former United States Navy SEALs, Navy SEAL. Born in Los Angeles to South ...

* Christina Koch * Kjell Lindgren *

Nicole Mann Nicole Victoria "Duke" Aunapu Mann (born June 27, 1977) is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. She is an McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet pilot and a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Stanford University, and the United State ...

Anne McClain Anne Charlotte McClain (born June 7, 1979) is a colonel in the U.S. Army, engineer and a NASA astronaut. Her call sign, "Annimal", dates back to her rugby career; she also uses the call sign in her Twitter handle, AstroAnnimal. She was a flight ...

* Jessica Meir * Jasmin Moghbeli *

Kathleen Rubins Kathleen Hallisey "Kate" Rubins (born October 14, 1978) is an American microbiologist and NASA astronaut. She became the 60th woman to fly in space when she launched on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 7 ...

* Francisco Rubio * Scott D. Tingle * Jessica Watkins *

Stephanie Wilson Stephanie Diana Wilson (born September 27, 1966)Laura Woodmansee, ed. ''Women Astronauts.'' (2002). Burlington, Ont.: Apogee Books. . p. 131. is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. She flew to space onboard three Space Shuttle missions a ...

Chief Astronaut The Chief of the Astronaut Office is the most senior leadership position for active astronauts at the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Chief Astronaut serves as head of the NASA Astronaut Corps and is the principal ...

Reid Wiseman said in August 2022, however, that all 42 active members of the

NASA Astronaut Corps The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions. It is based at Johnson Space Ce ...

and ten more training as

NASA Astronaut Group 23 NASA Astronaut Group 23 (nicknamed The Flies) was announced on December 6, 2021, with the class reporting for duty in January 2022. Twelve astronaut candidates were selected, including seven men and five women. History NASA announced the creat ...

are eligible for Artemis II and later flights.

Planned surface operations

The Artemis Base Camp will support missions of up to two months and will be used to study technologies to use on future Moon or Mars bases, and then future stationary modules may be used regularly for decades to come through both Government and commercial programs. Most probably it will be a site that has already been visited by prior robotic missions. It will consist of three main modules: # The Surface Habitat (SH) modules, which is the initial dwelling structure and a surface home base for the first residents of the Moon. # The Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), which is an unpressurized rover cart for transporting suited astronauts and cargo around in the vicinity of the Base. # The Pressurized Rovers (PR), a pressurized vehicle complete with small backup habitation facilities, thus enabling multi-day and longer-range explorations tens of kilometers away from the Base.Artemis Deep Space Habitation: Enabling a Sustained Human Presence on the Moon and Beyond
August, 2022. By Paul Kessler. Retrieved 2023-04-18.

Transportation on the Moon

Landing zone

In 2022, NASA has identified 13 candidate regions near the lunar South Pole for initial landing and inspection missions.

Ground transportation development

In February 2020, NASA released two requests for information regarding both a crewed and uncrewed unpressurized surface rover. The latter, Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) would be prepositioned by a CLPS vehicle before the Artemis III mission. It would be used to transport crews around the exploration site and serve a similar function to the Apollo

Lunar Roving Vehicle The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is a Battery electric vehicle, battery-powered four-wheeled Rover (space exploration), rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program (Apollo 15, 15, Apollo 16, 16, and Apollo 17 ...

. In July 2020, NASA established a program office for the rover at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA has specified its need for a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) that has a cargo capacity of 800 kg, traversal distances of up to 20 km without battery recharging, continuous operations for 8 hours within a 24-hour period, the ability to survive the lunar night, and the ability to traverse grades as steep as ±20 degrees. On April 3, 2024, NASA announced that

, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab are the three companies developing the LTV in a 12-month feasibility and demo phase. A source selection statement by NASA provided further details on cost and overall feasibility on April 9, 2024. The Intuitive Machines proposal was for $1.692 billion, Lunar Outpost for $1.727 billion and Astrolab for $1.928 billion to develop the vehicle.

Shelter building construction

The Artemis Base Camp is the proposed lunar base to be established at the end of the 2020s. The Base camp is to be located in the south pole region near the two adjacent Shackleton and de Gerlache craters, due to this area's wide variety of lunar geography and also due to the abundance of water ice that is believed to exist in the lunar soils of the crater floors. The environs of these craters fall under the guidelines of the

Outer Space Treaty The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a Multilateralism, multilateral treaty that forms the bas ...

Foundational Surface Habitat

Most of the information about the Surface Habitat (SH) modules comes from studies and launch manifests which include a reference to its launch. It will be commercially built and commercially launched in the early 2030s along with the Pressurized Vehicle (PV). The SH was formerly referred to as the Artemis Surface Asset. Launch plans showed that landing it on the surface would be similar to the HLS. The SH would be sent to the Gateway where it would then be attached to a descent stage and subsequently transported to the lunar surface with a commercial launcher and lander. It would use the same lunar transfer stage as used for the HLS. Other designs from 2019 envisioned it being launched from an

SLS Block 1B The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle used by NASA. As the primary launch vehicle of the Artemis Moon landing program, SLS is designed to launch the crewed Orion spacecraft on a trans-lunar t ...

as a single unit and landing directly on the surface. It would then be hooked up to a surface power system launched by a CLPS mission and tested by the Artemis VI crew. The Italian Space Agency signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space in late 2023 for the Multi Purpose Habitat, which may become the second module for the Artemis Base Camp.

Resource prospecting and research programs

As of February 2020, a lunar stay during a Phase 1 Artemis mission will be about seven days and will have five extravehicular activities (EVA). A ''notional'' concept of operations, i.e., a hypothetical but possible plan, would include the following: On Day 1 of the stay, astronauts touchdown on the Moon but do not conduct an EVA. Instead, they prepare for the EVA scheduled for the next day, in what is referred to as "The Road to EVA". On Day 2, the astronauts open the hatch on the Human Landing System and embark on EVA 1, which will be six hours long. It will include collecting a contingency sample, conducting public affairs activities, deploying the experiment package, and acquiring samples. The astronauts will stay close to the landing site on this first EVA. EVA 2 begins on day 3. The astronauts characterize and collect samples from permanently shadowed regions. Unlike the previous EVA, the astronauts will go farther from the landing site, up to , and up and down slopes of 20°. Day 4 will not include an EVA, but Day 5 will. EVA 3 may include activities such as collecting samples from an ejecta blanket. Day 6 will have the two astronauts deploy a geotechnical instrument alongside an environmental monitoring station for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Day 7 will have the final and shortest EVA. This EVA will last one hour, rather than the others' six hours in duration from egress to ingress, and mostly comprises preparations for the lunar ascent, including jettisoning hardware. Once the final EVA is concluded, the astronauts will return to the Human Landing System and the vehicle will launch from the surface and join up with Orion/Gateway.

Pressurized rover ("Mobile Habitat")

The Pressurized Rover (PR) is a large, pressurized module used to enable crewed operation across large distances and live for multiple days. NASA had developed multiple pressurized rovers including what was formerly called the

Space Exploration Vehicle The Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) is a modular vehicle concept developed by NASA from 2008 to 2015. It would have consisted of a pressurized cabin that could be mated either with a wheeled chassis to form a rover for planetary surface explorat ...

(SEV). This rover was built for the

and was fabricated and then tested. In the 2020 flight manifest it was later referred to as the "Mobile Habitat" suggesting it could fill a similar role to the ILREC Lunar Bus. It would be ready for the crew to use on the surface but could also be autonomously controlled from the Gateway or other locations. Mark Kirasich, who is the acting director of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems, has stated that the current plan is to partner with

and

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

to develop a closed cabin rover to support crews for up to 14 days (currently known as Lunar Cruiser). "It's very important to our leadership at the moment to involve JAXA in a major surface element", he said. "... The Japanese, and their auto industry, have a very strong interest in rover-type things. So, there was an idea to—even though we have done a lot of work—to let the Japanese lead development of a pressurized rover. So right now, that's the direction we're heading in". In regard to the PR, senior-lunar-scientist Clive Neal said "Under Constellation, NASA had a sophisticated rover put together. It's pretty sad if it's never going to get to the Moon". However Neal also said that he understands the different mission objectives between the Constellation Program and those of the Artemis Program, and the need of the Artemis Program to focus more on international collaboration. On April 9, 2024, it was announced that JAXA and NASA had signed an agreement stipulating that Japan would join the pressurized rover collaboration venture and would design, develop, and operate a rover for crewed and uncrewed exploration of the Moon. In return, NASA will provide the launch and delivery of the rover to the Moon, as well as providing seats for two Japanese astronaut missions to the lunar surface, with the goal of these astronauts being the first non-Americans to travel to the Moon's surface. The pressurized rover is planned to accommodate two astronauts for up to 30 days outside. NASA plans to use the pressurized rover from Artemis VII and subsequent missions, over an approximate 10 year lifespan.

Specialized lunar equipment development

Artemis space suits

The Artemis program will make use of two types of

space suit A space suit (or spacesuit) is an environmental suit used for protection from the harsh environment of outer space, mainly from its vacuum as a highly specialized pressure suit, but also its temperature extremes, as well as radiation and ...

revealed in October 2019: the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), and the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS). On August 10, 2021, a

NASA Office of Inspector General The NASA Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG or OIG) is the inspector general office in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the space agency of the United States. The OIG's stated mission is to "prevent and detect crime, fraud, ...

audit reported a conclusion that the spacesuits would not be ready until April 2025 at the earliest, likely delaying the mission from the then planned late 2024. In response to the IG report,

indicated that they could provide the suits.

Commercial spacesuits

NASA published a draft RFP to procure commercially-produced spacesuits in order to meet the 2024 schedule. On June 2, 2022, NASA announced that commercially produced spacesuits would be developed by

Axiom Space Axiom Space, Inc., also known as Axiom Space, is an American privately funded space infrastructure developer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 2016 by former CEO Michael T. Suffredini and Kam Ghaffarian, the company first flew a spa ...

and

Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace is an American technology company that is one of the world's largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. It was formed in 2018 from the merger of Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems. Headquartered in Charlotte, ...

. In early 2024, the development reached the critical design and test phase.

Artemis flights

Orion testing

A prototype version of the Orion Crew Module was launched on

on December 5, 2014 atop a

rocket. Its

and other components were tested during two medium Earth orbits, reaching an apogee of and crossing the

Van Allen radiation belts The Van Allen radiation belt is a zone of energetic charged particles, most of which originate from the solar wind, that are captured by and held around a planet by that planet's magnetosphere. Earth has two such belts, and sometimes others ma ...

before making a high-energy re-entry at . The

Ascent Abort-2 Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) was a test of the launch escape system (LAS) of NASA's Orion spacecraft. The test followed Orion's Pad Abort-1 test in 2010 and Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014 in which the capsule first flew in space. It preceded an u ...

test on July 2, 2019 tested the final iteration of the launch abort system on a Orion boilerplate at maximum aerodynamic load, using a custom

Minotaur IV Minotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the retired LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM. It is operated by Northrop Grumman Space Systems, and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010 car ...

-derived launch vehicle built by

Orbital ATK Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in February 9, 2015 from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Orbital ATK designed, built, and de ...

Artemis I–VI

, all crewed Artemis missions will launch on the Space Launch System from

Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) is the second of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39A, was first designed for the Saturn V launch vehicle, ...

. Current plans call for some supporting hardware to be launched on other vehicles and from other launch pads.

Artemis VII–X

In November 2021, plans to return humans to the Moon in 2024 were cancelled, and the Artemis III mission was delayed until at least 2025. It has since been delayed to mid-2027. Artemis VII is expected to deliver a crew of four astronauts to a surface lunar outpost known as the Foundation Habitat, along with the Mobile Habitat, which is expected to occur in March 2032. The Foundation Habitat would be launched back to back with the Mobile Habitat by an undetermined super heavy launcher and would be used for extended crewed lunar surface missions.. "NASA's 'notional' plan for a human return to the Moon by 2024, and an outpost by 2028". Prior to each crewed Artemis mission, payloads to the Gateway, such as refueling depots and expendable elements of the lunar lander, would be deployed by commercial launch vehicles.. "After Artemis 3, NASA would launch four additional crewed missions to the lunar surface between 2025 and 2028. Meanwhile, the agency would work to expand the Gateway by launching additional components and crew vehicles and laying the foundation for an eventual Moon base". The most updated manifest includes missions suggested in NASA's timelines that have not been designed or funded from Artemis IV to IX.

Support missions schedule

Artemis support missions are robotic missions flown through the CLPS program and Gateway program, and HLS demo and delivery missions.

Criticism

The Artemis program has received criticism from several space professionals. Mark Whittington, who is a contributor to '' The Hill'' and an author of several space exploration studies, stated in an article that the "lunar orbit project doesn't help us get back to the Moon". Aerospace engineer, author, and

Mars Society The Mars Society is a nonprofit organization that advocates for human exploration and colonization of Mars. It was founded by Robert Zubrin in 1998 and its principles are based on Zubrin's Mars Direct philosophy, which aims to make human miss ...

founder

Robert Zubrin Robert Zubrin (; born April 9, 1952) is an American aerospace engineer, author, and advocate for human exploration of Mars. He is also an advocate for U.S. space superiority, writing that "in the 21st century, victory on land, sea or in the air ...

has voiced his distaste for the Gateway, which is part of the Artemis program as of 2027. He presented an alternative approach to a 2024 crewed lunar landing called "Moon Direct", a successor to his proposed

Mars Direct Mars Direct is a proposal for a human mission to Mars which purports to be both cost-effective and possible with current technology. It was originally detailed in a research paper by Martin Marietta engineers Robert Zubrin and David Baker in 19 ...

. His vision phases out the SLS and Orion, replacing them with the

SpaceX launch vehicles SpaceX manufactures launch vehicles to operate its launch service provider, launch provider services and to execute its various exploration goals. SpaceX manufactures and operates two members of the Falcon 9 family, the Falcon 9 Block 5 medium- ...

and

SpaceX Dragon 2 Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed, manufactured, and operated by the American space company SpaceX for flights to the International Space Station (ISS) and private spaceflight missions. The spacecraft, which consi ...

. It proposes using a heavy ferry/lander that would be refueled on the lunar surface via

in situ resource utilization In space exploration, in situ resource utilization (ISRU) is the practice of collection, processing, storing and use of materials found or manufactured on other astronomical objects (the Moon, Mars, asteroids, etc.) that replace materials th ...

and transfer the crew from LEO to the lunar surface. The concept bears a heavy resemblance to NASA's own

Space Transportation System The Space Transportation System (STS), also known internally to NASA as the Integrated Program Plan (IPP), was a proposed system of reusable crewed spacecraft, space vehicles envisioned in 1969 to support extended operations beyond the Apollo ...

proposal from the 1970s.

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...

astronaut

Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin ( ; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three extravehicular activity, spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and was the Lunar Module Eag ...

disagrees with NASA's current goals and priorities, including their plans for a lunar outpost. He questioned the benefit of the idea to "send a crew to an intermediate point in space, pick up a lander there and go down". However, Aldrin expressed support for Robert Zubrin's "Moon Direct" concept which involves lunar landers traveling from Earth orbit to the lunar surface and back. The program attracted criticism for the fact that at least 15 launches will be required to refuel HLS in orbit per crewed mission. In 2024, SpaceX's Jennifer Jensen stated on a call that Starship HLS will require ten launches.

Gallery

File:Artemis Phase 1.jpg, Outdated planned missions of the Artemis program File:The-Initial-Phase-Gateway-with-Orion,-an-HLS-and-a-logistics-module-docked.jpg, Phase 1 Gateway with an Orion and HLS docked on Artemis III File:Artemis program astronauts lunar craterv2.png, A concept of surface operations File:Artemis I map October 2021.jpg, Artemis I flight path File:Artemis I SLS in the VAB.jpg,

atop the MLP being carried by the CT out of the VAB at Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Moon to Mars portal
at NASA
Artemis program
at NASA
Monthly report
by the Exploration Systems Development (ESD) * View Artemis I in NASA's Eye
Eyes on the Solar System – NASA/JPL
{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, United States Artemis program 2010s in the United States 2020s in the United States 2020s in spaceflight Orion (spacecraft) Commercial Lunar Payload Services Exploration of the Moon Human spaceflight programs NASA programs Projects established in 2017