Ignition Protocol / Programme
Artemis
Going back to the Moon on hardware that was chosen before the destination was, and staying there on terms nobody has yet defined. The rocket was picked first and the mission written around it, which is why the schedule keeps moving to fit the lander.
Artemis has run since 2017 under Space Policy Directive 1 and took its name on 16 May 2019. Artemis I flew uncrewed around the Moon between 16 November and 11 December 2022, Artemis II carried four people around it in April 2026, and the first landing has moved to Artemis IV in 2028 after Artemis III was rewritten into a low Earth orbit demonstration.
How it went
Space Policy Directive 1, signed on 11 December 2017, ordered a crewed return to the Moon built on Orion and the Space Launch System, hardware already years into development.
Artemis I launched on 16 November 2022 and splashed down on 11 December, proving the rocket and the capsule with nobody aboard.
Artemis II lifted off from Pad 39B at 6:35 p.m. EDT on 1 April 2026 with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, travelled 252,756 miles and came home on 11 April.
Artemis III was changed from the landing mission into a low Earth orbit demonstration in 2027, testing rendezvous and docking between Orion and test versions of the commercial landers.
The first crewed landing since 1972 now belongs to Artemis IV, targeted for 2028, and the date is held by the lander rather than by the rocket.
What it flew
What it cost, what it got
Not finished. Four people have been around the Moon and back, the first crew to leave low Earth orbit since 1972, and nobody has landed. NASA inspector general work put the spend at roughly 93 billion dollars across 2012 to 2025, and the landing the programme was funded for is still two years out.
Sources
- ArtemisNASA
- Artemis IIINASA
- Artemis programWikipedia