The Artemis program is a NASA initiative to land humans on the Moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable presence there. The program has several key components and phases, including the following:
Artemis I
The Artemis I mission, which is an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. This mission will be launched in late 2021 and will orbit the Moon to test the spacecraft’s systems and capabilities.
Artemis II
The Artemis II mission, which is a crewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket. This mission will be launched in 2023 and will take astronauts on a trip around the Moon to test the spacecraft’s systems and capabilities with a crew on board.
Artemis III
The Artemis III mission, which is the first crewed landing on the Moon since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s. This mission will be launched in 2024 and will carry astronauts to the lunar surface, where they will conduct scientific experiments and explore the Moon’s environment.
Artemis IV & V
The Artemis IV and V missions, which will focus on establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, including the construction of a lunar base. These missions will take place in the years following the Artemis III landing and will involve multiple trips to the lunar surface to build and expand the base.
Overall, the Artemis program is an ambitious effort to return humans to the Moon and pave the way for future exploration of the solar system.
Current State of Artemis
Artemis I is was set to launch on Monday, August 29th, but ultimately launched November 15, 2022 at 10:47 PM PST.
The Orion capsule is set to land back on Earth on Dec. 11, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego where it will be recovered by a Navy amphibious ship.
