Artemis program
| Program overview | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Organization | NASA and partners: ESA, JAXA, DLR, UKSA, ASI, ISA, MBRSC, and CSA |
| Purpose | Sustainable crewed lunar exploration |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Program history | |
| Cost | US$93+ billion (2012–2025), $53 billion in 2021–2025[1] |
| Duration | 2017–present[2] |
| First flight | Artemis I (November 16, 2022, 06:47:44 UTC)[3][4] |
| First crewed flight | Artemis II (Early 2026)[5] |
| Launch site(s) |
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| Vehicle information | |
| Crewed vehicle(s) |
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| Crew capacity | 4[6] |
| Launch vehicle(s) |
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| Part of a series on the |
| United States space program |
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The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally established in 2017 via Space Policy Directive 1. The program is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, with a stated long-term goal to establish a permanent base on the Moon and facilitate human missions to Mars.
Two principal elements of the Artemis program are derived from the now-cancelled Constellation program: the Orion spacecraft (with the ESM instead of a US-built service module) and the Space Launch System's solid rocket boosters (originally developed for the Ares V). Other elements of the program, such as the Lunar Gateway space station and the Human Landing System, are in development by government space agencies and private spaceflight companies, collaborations bound by the Artemis Accords and governmental contracts.
The Space Launch System, Orion spacecraft and the Human Landing System form the main spaceflight infrastructure for Artemis, and the Lunar Gateway plays a supporting role in human habitation. Supporting infrastructures for Artemis include the Commercial Lunar Payload Services, development of ground infrastructures, Artemis Base Camp on the Moon, Moon rovers, and spacesuits. Some aspects of the program have been criticized, such as the use of a near-rectilinear halo orbit and the program's sustainability.
Orion's first launch on the Space Launch System was originally set in 2016, but faced numerous delays; it launched on November 16, 2022, as the Artemis I mission, with robots and mannequins aboard. As of August 2025, the crewed Artemis II launch is scheduled for April 2026, the Artemis III crewed lunar landing is expected to launch no earlier than mid-2027, the Artemis IV docking with the Lunar Gateway is planned for late 2028, the Artemis V docking with the European Space Agency's ESPRIT, Canada's Canadarm3, and NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle is planned for early 2030, and the Artemis VI docking which is expected to integrate the Crew and Science Airlock with the Lunar Gateway station is planned for early 2031. After Artemis VI, NASA plans yearly landings on the Moon from then on.
The program faced its greatest existential threat as the economics of launch costs began to change drastically due to reusable launch vehicles in the early 2020s. After multiple sessions of Congress debated the viability of the program, it was ultimately funded by passage of the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.[10]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NASA OIG 2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Artemis_home20190519was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Artemis I Launch to the Moon (Official NASA Broadcast) - Nov. 16, 2022, November 16, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
- ^ "NASA Prepares Rocket, Spacecraft Ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, Re-targets Launch". NASA. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
spo-20240109was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Orion Components, February 27, 2024, retrieved June 18, 2024
- ^ Gebhardt, Chris (April 6, 2017). "NASA finally sets goals, missions for SLS — multi-step plan to Mars". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- ^ NASA (November 17, 2022). "Gateway: overview". NASA. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Grush, Loren (July 18, 2019). "NASA's daunting to-do list for sending people back to the Moon". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Mendenhall, Brooks (July 9, 2025). ""One Big Beautiful Bill" sets stage for NASA's return to the Moon". Astronomy Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2025.