Every major US lunar mission explained, including the Artemis II

April 2, 2026 - 02:17

The United States is poised to return to the Moon, ending a five-decade hiatus since the final Apollo mission in 1972. This new chapter, spearheaded by NASA's ambitious Artemis program, marks a significant shift toward sustained lunar exploration and future journeys to Mars.

The upcoming Artemis II mission is a critical milestone. Scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2025, this crewed flight will carry four astronauts on a ten-day journey around the Moon and back, testing the life-support systems of the Orion spacecraft. It will be the first time humans have ventured to lunar vicinity since Apollo 17.

Artemis II paves the way for Artemis III, which aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface. Beyond these historic crewed missions, NASA has partnered with commercial companies for a series of robotic landers. These uncrewed missions will deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon, scouting resources and laying the groundwork for a long-term human presence.

This concerted effort represents a foundational step in establishing a permanent lunar outpost, serving as a proving ground for the deep-space technologies required for the next giant leap: human exploration of the Red Planet. The Moon is once again the central destination in America's space exploration roadmap.