ActiveNASA / ESA / JAXA / CSA

Artemis Lunar Exploration Program

Returning humanity to the Moon and establishing the foundation for crewed exploration to Mars.

Apogee (Artemis I)432,210 km from Earth

SLS Block 1 Liftoff Thrust8.8 Million lbs (39.1 MN)

Crew Capacity (Orion)4 Astronauts (up to 21 days active)

Planned Surface HabitationArtemis Base Camp @ 89.9°S

Mission Architecture & Context

The Artemis campaign represents the modern vanguard of deep space exploration. Through the combined power of the Space Launch System (SLS) super heavy-lift rocket, the Orion crew spacecraft, commercial Human Landing Systems (SpaceX Starship HLS & Blue Origin Blue Moon), and the Gateway lunar outpost, Artemis establishes permanent human and robotic presence at the water-ice rich Lunar South Pole.

Primary Scientific Objectives

Confirm the distribution, depth, and isotopic extraction feasibility of lunar volatile water ice at permanently shadowed regions.

Deploy the Lunar Gateway space station in Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit for continuous deep-space telecommunications and staging.

Conduct in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to refine oxygen, hydrogen, and regolith-based structural shielding.

Test long-duration life support, biological radiation countermeasures, and surface mobility systems as testing grounds for Mars transit.

Payload Engineering

Key Scientific Instruments

Optical Navigation Camera (OpNav)

Autonomous optical triangulation using lunar horizon features

Manufacturer: NASA Goddard

Orion Radiation Monitoring System

Real-time ionizing galactic cosmic ray and solar energetic particle flux quantification

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin / NASA

VIPER Lunar Mass Spectrometer

Volatiles identification in drill cores up to 1 meter depth

Manufacturer: NASA Ames Research Center

Scientific Milestones

2022

Artemis I uncrewed 25.5-day flight around the Moon and successful high-speed atmospheric skip re-entry.

2025

Artemis II crewed lunar flyby trajectory validation with 4 astronauts.

2026-2027

Artemis III targeted crewed landing at the lunar South Pole permanently shadowed regions.

Mission Parameters

Target Location:Lunar South Pole (Shackleton Crater & Malapert Mountain)

Trajectory/Orbit:Cislunar & Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO)

Program Investment:$93 Billion (Estimated through 2025)

Launch Date:Nov 16, 2022 (Artemis I)

Query Related Open Datasets

Next Mission

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

Deep infrared early universe spectroscopy and exoplanet transmission.

Read JWST Dossier →