Artemis program: return to the Moon
The Artemis program is the United States' structured campaign to return humans to the Moon and build the infrastructure for long-term lunar presence. Authorized by Space Policy Directive 1 in 2017, it picks up where the Apollo program and the first Moon landings Apollo program left off — but with a broader coalition: NASA leads the effort alongside U.S. commercial partners and international agencies including ESA, with the stated goal of landing "the first woman and the next man" on the Moon, specifically targeting the lunar south pole region. The longer-term ambition is to lay the foundation for a private lunar economy and to serve as the proving ground for eventual human missions to Mars, fitting the logic of The Space Race: geopolitics and the drive to the Moon post-race cooperation now channeled into multilateral exploration.
Architecture and launch vehicles
Artemis relies on several interlocking systems. The Space Launch System (SLS) serves as the primary launch vehicle for the Orion crew capsule, which carries astronauts beyond Earth orbit. The Lunar Gateway — a small orbiting station being built in cislunar space — will serve as a staging point for surface missions; initial Gateway capabilities are targeted for the 2025–2027 timeframe, with construction underway as of 2026. Commercial launch vehicles are planned for delivering Gateway modules and other campaign elements. Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts support uncrewed precursor landers: the first CLPS lander touched down in early 2024, marking the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the Moon since Apollo 17. The crewed lunar lander element — awarded to SpaceX's Starship system, tying Artemis directly to Reusable rocket technology and economics reusable rocket development — remains under development.
Missions to date and near-term plan
Artemis I, an uncrewed SLS/Orion test flight, launched in late 2022. Artemis II, a crewed lunar flyby, launched in April 2026 and set a new distance record: the crew reached 406,773 km (252,757 mi) from Earth at their furthest point, surpassing the previous record of 400,171 km set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Artemis IV, the first planned crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17, is targeted for 2028 and would realize the Artemis Base Camp concept for a sustainable surface presence.
Geopolitical context
Artemis exists against a backdrop of renewed international competition. China leads the rival International Lunar Research Station program, with its own international partners. China's robotic program has already demonstrated capabilities that precede eventual crewed ambitions: Chang'e 4 achieved the world's first landing on the far side of the Moon in 2019, Chang'e 6 the first far-side sample return in 2024, and Chandrayaan-3 (India) the first landing near the lunar south pole in 2023. The pattern recalls the original The Space Race: geopolitics and the drive to the Moon Space Race dynamic, with lunar south pole access — particularly for water ice that could support propellant production — as the new strategic prize.