360What is NASA's Artemis programme?
Artemis is NASA's programme to return astronauts to the Moon, for the first time since 1972, and to stay longer. Artemis I flew around the Moon without crew in 2022, and Artemis II carried four astronauts around it in 2026. NASA plans an Earth-orbit test of moon landers in 2027 and a crewed landing near the south pole around 2028.
Between 1969 and 1972, twelve astronauts walked on the Moon during NASA's Apollo programme. Nobody has been back since.
Artemis, named after Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology, aims to land astronauts near the Moon's south pole, where ice in shadowed craters could provide water, oxygen and rocket fuel for future missions. NASA works with international partners, including Europe, Canada and Japan.
The programme uses NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. Artemis I sent an uncrewed Orion around the Moon in late 2022. Artemis II carried four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, around the Moon in April 2026, splashing down in the Pacific on 10 April.
NASA now plans Artemis III as a test in Earth orbit in 2027, practising docking with lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin, followed by a crewed landing on Artemis IV, targeted for 2028.
Longer-term plans include a small space station orbiting the Moon, called Gateway, and a base camp on the surface. Space schedules often slip, so dates are targets.
Sources: NASA · European Space Agency · SpacePolicyOnline.