NASA’s Artemis missions from Moon to Mars explained

With a primary focus on a six-week test flight of the Orion Capsule and the 322-foot-long Space Launch System rocket.

The launch will take place on Monday at 8:33 am from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

On the launch, sensor-equipped mannequins will replace the crew and measure the degrees of vibration, radiation, and acceleration. The Orion will orbit the moon before splashing into the Pacific Ocean. (Image courtesy: NASA)

If Artemis I shows positive and successful results, it may pave the way for the first crewed SLS-Orion mission, Artemis II, an out-and-back lunar return mission, to launch as early as 2024, followed by Artemis III a year or more later.

The crew members are yet to be announced. The Artemis II programme aims at flying its crew to orbit the moon in 2024 but will not land them on the surface as Apollo 8 did. (Image courtesy: NASAArtemis)

The third Artemis mission plans to send astronauts to the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

NASA will land its first crewed spacecraft on the southern pole of the moon. The space agency plans to carry out crewed missions once a year.

NASA and SpaceX plan to build a moon lander for the third mission of Artemis. Currently, in the developing stage, SpaceX Starship will act as a shuttle from the Orion crew capsule to the lunar surface and back.

Starting with Artemis III, NASA plans to launch a crew mission every year.

The Artemis programme plans to build Gateway, a space station that will orbit the Moon.

The living quarters and power and propulsion systems are scheduled to be launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in 2024.

The Gateway will be put together by Orion personnel.

A lander that would enable them to go to the Moon and back would eventually be available to astronauts after spending 30 to 60 days in Gateway.

Additionally, the gateway would act as a pit station for any mission to Mars in the future.

Another reason behind the renewed interest in the moon missions is to test modern technologies at NASA’s disposal right now and use them to make journey to Mars easier.

To discover how to sustain human presence in deep space, NASA will use info from the Artemis programme.

The idea is to establish a "base camp" on the moon and make astronauts stay there for up to two months. As it takes a few days to travel to the moon, it will take a few months to travel to Mars. (Imagwe courtesy: NASA)