A Guide to Artemis

How and why humans are returning to the Moon after half a century, and where it could lead.

Artemis 1 stands on the launchpad, ready to fly. The mission is to send an Orion capsule into orbit around the Moon, using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Nobody is aboard, but if this test flight is successful it will pave the way for a second Artemis mission with a crew.

Credit: NASA

This rocket and its capsule is only one part of the whole Artemis program. The other parts of the program, and how they are likely to develop, makes Artemis quite distinct from the Apollo program.

Why the Moon

NASA’s intentions towards the Moon vary with changing administrations, but currently it is seen primarily as a place where a Mars mission can be rehearsed, with science objectives as a secondary goal. In addition to its surface operations, the Artemis program will include the construction of Gateway, a space station to facilitate landings on the Moon and to simulate flights to Mars. The orbit the station occupies takes it far from the Moon most of the time, and thus it gets no significant shield…