NASA Artemis mission: How many days will astronauts be on the Moon?
NASA is preparing to return humans to the lunar surface under the Artemis programme. While the upcoming Artemis II mission involves a 10-day orbit, NASA’s Artemis III mission plans to land two astronauts on the Moon for approximately six and a half days.
Artemis II: The 10-Day Test
Before landing, the four-person Artemis II crew will embark on a 10-day flight around the Moon to test the Orion spacecraft's life support systems.
Artemis III: First Surface Stay
For the first landing mission, Artemis III, two astronauts will descend to the lunar surface and are scheduled to stay there for approximately 6.5 days.
Living in Starship
During their six-day stay, the astronauts will live and work entirely inside the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System, using it as their base and laboratory.
Exploring the South Pole
The crew will spend their time at the lunar South Pole, a region permanently shadowed and believed to contain water ice, unlike the equatorial Apollo sites.
Four Scheduled Moonwalks
Over the course of the 6.5 days, the astronauts plan to conduct up to four moonwalks (EVAs) to collect samples and deploy scientific instruments.
Goal
Looking beyond the initial landing, NASA’s long-term vision involves building an Artemis Base Camp to support crew stays of up to 30 days on the surface.
Future extended missions
Future extended missions will rely on the lunar Gateway space station, which will orbit the Moon and hold supplies to facilitate these longer expeditions.
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