The Artemis Program was a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) venture to return Humans to the Moon. NASA is a government agency run by the United States, its purpose to advance knowledge of the universe. First proposed in the 1980s as a predecessor to a Mars Program, the Artemis Program planned on using commercial rockets to enhance the capability of NASA's Orion rocket to land on the Moon. In cooperation with the ESA, the Lunar Gateway was a Space Station constructed around the Moon to help the Orion spacecraft land on the Moon.
Artemis I (2022)[]
Crew: None[]
Result: Success[]
Launch Date: November 16th[]
Artemis I was an Unmanned Test Mission to circle the Moon and make sure its equipment and reentry systems worked. Dispite being pushed back several times from its original launch date in 2021, the mission was a complete success.
Artemis II (2024)[]
Crew: Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch (Mission Specialist 1), Jeremy Hanson (Mission Specialist 2).[]
Result: Success[]
Launch Date: November 22nd[]
Artemis II was a manned mission to circle the moon in much the same way as Artemis I did, testing the life support systems and landing systems.
Artemis III (2025)[]
Crew: Jasmin Moghbeli (Commander), Matthew Dominick (Pilot), Jessica Watkins (Mission Specialist 1), Jessica Meir (Mission Specialist 2).[]
Result: Success[]
Launch Date: December 31st, 2025[]
Artemis III was the first Landing on the moon since 1972, Jasmin Moghbeli stepping out first. Landing in the South Pole - Aitken Basin, they set several experiments before returning to earth.
Artemis IV (2028)[]
Crew: Stephanie Wilson (Commander), Warren Hoburg (Pilot), Joseph Acaba (Mission Specialist 1), Kate Rubins (Mission Specialist 2).[]
Result: Success[]
Launch Date: September 28th[]
Although overshadowed by the Great Asian War, the Artemis IV mission yielded great success as the Lunar Gateway Space Station began construction. Also landing in the South Pole - Aitkin Basin, the team started preparing for a possible future Lunar Base.
Artemis V (2030)[]
Crew: Frank Rubio (Commander), Scott Tingle (Pilot), Kjell Lindgren (Mission Specialist 1) Christina Koch (Mission Specialist 2).[]
Result: Success[]
Launch Date: April 4th[]
Despite 2 delays, Artemis V lifted off successfully and delivered a Refueling Module to the Lunar Gateway and a Rover to the surface, the mission was perfect. However, around this time, NASA's budget was cut further to fuel military efforts in Southeast Asia. Due to this, it was decided that Artemis VI would be the last Artemis Mission, as conflict didn't show any signs of slowing down.
Artemis VI (2030)[]
Crew: Kayla Barron (Commander), Raja Chari (Pilot), Jonny Kim (Mission Specialist 1), Kjell Lindgren (Mission Specialist 2).[]
Result: Partial Failure[]
Launch Date: September 4th[]
Artemis VI started off fine, scheduled to be one of the lesser Artemis missions, but soon after the delivery of the Airlock Module to Gateway, returning Artemis Mission Specialist Kjell Lindgren noted an issue with the fuel pressure pumps. Soon after the Lunar Landing, NASA Mission Control figured out that one of the fuel hoses inside the service module had sprung a leak and the mission was forced to be aborted Immediately. Thankfully, they made it home safe, and it would later be known as the worst way to end such a great program.
Post-Artemis Programs[]
NASA would continue sending support missions to the Lunar South Pole while they planned out a successor to the Artemis Program, even sending robots and rovers out to make it easier when they returned again.
NASA would later regain its budget when the Chinese successfully landed on the Moon in 2039, sparking a "Second Space Race," and the revival of the planned Artemis missions in the form of the Selene Program.