Artemis Mission: A Journey To Mars Via Moon

Artemis Mission is the first step in the next era of human exploration into deep space. Together with commercial and international partners, NASA will establish a sustainable presence on the Moon to prepare for the next step- missions to Mars.

What is Artemis Mission?

NASA will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.

Why is the programme called Artemis?

The first mission to take astronauts to the Moon was called the Apollo Program, named after a god of Greek mythology, Apollo.
Artemis was Apollo's twin sister and the goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.
When they land, Artemis astronauts will stand where no human has ever reached: the Moon's South Pole.
The crewed spacecraft which is currently under development is called Orion. Orion is one of the most recognisable constellations in the sky, while in Classical mythology, Orion is the hunting companion of Artemis.

Artemis Mission Facts

Launch date: 14 November 2022 (Due to liquid hydrogen leak, the launch was postponed twice, 29 August & 4 Sep)
Mission duration: 42 days, 3 hours, 20 minutes
Total distance travelled: 1.3 million miles
Re-entry speed: 24,500 mph (Mach 32)

Why is NASA going back to the Moon?

NASA is not simply aiming to repeat the feats of the Apollo missions with Artemis, but rather to go to the Moon 'and stay there. That means investigating the possibility of establishing bases both in lunar orbit and on the Moon's surface. However, the primary goal for now still involves returning humans to the Moon by the middle of the decade.

What Spacecraft Will Be Used for the Artemis Program?

NASA's new rocket: the Space Launch System (SLS), will be used for the Artemis mission. It is the most powerful rocket ever in the world. Space Launch System will carry the Orion spacecraft with up to four astronauts riding aboard to lunar orbit. Then, astronauts will dock Orion at a small spaceship called the Gateway. This is where astronauts will prepare for missions to the Moon and beyond. The crew will take trips from the Gateway to the lunar surface in a new human landing system and then return to the Gateway. The crew will return to Earth aboard Orion when their work is finished.

When will the Artemis mission be launched?

NASA is planning to launch the Artemis mission on 14 November 2022. On the same day monstrous Space Launch System rocket will be launched, the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Why Is the Artemis Mission Important?

The Moon is a good place to learn new science. When astronauts study new places on the lunar surface, NASA will learn more about the Moon, Earth and even the Sun. The Moon is a "test bed" for Mars.
A test bed is a place to prove that technology or idea will work. The Moon is a place to demonstrate that astronauts will one day be able to work away from Earth on Mars for long periods.

The first missions to the Moon required NASA to develop new technology. Many of those technologies have been made into items people use on Earth in their everyday lives. NASA is working with businesses and companies to create new technology for Artemis missions. Other nations will work with NASA as partners. Just as partners work together on the International Space Station, they will work on Artemis to bring the world together for a mission to Earth's nearest neighbour in space.

Artemis is just the beginning of a new era - an era of deep space exploration. The missions on Artemis will teach us more about our Earth and solar system, leading to further discoveries in the future about the mind-boggling universe we live in. By 2024, we will be sending the first astronauts to the Moon in decades.
In 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins made the first successful manned mission to the Moon on Apollo 11, something that seemed impossible at the time.

After Apollo 11, ten more astronauts walked on the Moon, with the last one being on Apollo 17 in 1972.

How many Artemis missions are there?

3 Artemis missions are planned as of now to go to Moon.
Artemis 1: first launch attempt Aug. 29 2022
Artemis 2: no earlier than 2024 (TBC)
Artemis 3: 2025
Duration: 2017-present
Launch vehicles: Space Launch System (SLS); Commercial launch vehicles
Crew modules: Lunar Gateway, Orion, Human landing system (HLS)

Artemis 1
Earlier called Exploration Mission-1, this uncrewed mission is an extensive test of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion module.
The Space Launch System will take off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, and once in space, the Orion module will detach and travel to the Moon. Its orbit will take it 62 miles above the lunar surface before it continues 40,000 miles beyond the Moon. After a travel time of 20 to 25 days, the module will splash down in the Pacific Ocean near California.
Artemis 2
This will be a pioneering crewed spaceflight for the Artemis programme, taking humans further than they've ever been in space.

After being launched into space by the SLS rocket, the four-person crew will fly the Orion module 8889 km beyond the Moon, complete a lunar flyby and return to Earth. The mission will take between eight to ten days and collect valuable flight test data.

Artemis 3
The third mission to the Moon is set to be the first Moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Building on the Artemis 2 mission, four astronauts aboard the Orion module will dock with the Lunar Gateway and remain in space for 30 days. The human landing system will then take two astronauts down to the Moon, the South Pole, a region previously unvisited by humans. The astronauts are expected to spend a week exploring the surface and perform a variety of scientific studies, including sampling water ice - first detected on the Moon in 1971.

What is NASA's Artemis Mission studying?

The Artemis 3 crew will visit the Moon's South Pole. No one has ever been there. At the South Pole of the Moon, astronauts will:

1. Search for the Moon's water and use it.
2. Study the Moon to discover its mysteries.
3. Learn how to live and work on the surface of another celestial body where astronauts are just three days from home.
4. Test the technologies we need before sending astronauts on missions to Mars, which can take up to three years roundtrip.

Can you track NASA's Artemis Mission?

Using AROW, almost anyone with internet access can pinpoint Orion's location and track its distance from the Earth, distance from the Moon, mission duration, and more.

You can also join NASA's Orion spacecraft on its first mission around the Moon using the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW) to track the spacecraft's flight as it happens.

How Much Will Artemis Mission Cost?

Cost estimates are still being refined, and the overall price tag of Artemis remains unknown. According to NASA, the Apollo program's budget ended up costing $23.6 billion in 1973 dollars, the equivalent of more than $136 billion today. That means each Apollo moon landing cost around 22.6 billion dollars. For Artemis, NASA's spending is projected to reach $93 billion by 2025, with each SLS/Orion launch costing $4.1 billion.