NASA's Artemis Program: To the Moon and Beyond

In response to President Trump's directive to put Americans on the Moon again by 2024, NASA has created the Artemis Program with the goal of landing astronauts on the Moon on or before that 2024 deadline. However, unlike the Apollo missions of the 60s and 70s, the aim of this program is to establish a continuing presence on the Moon. To accomplish that, a whole new generation of space vehicles and equipment are going to be needed – the Space Launch System (a new booster rocket to lift a spacecraft up to Earth orbit), the Orion spacecraft (a new crew vehicle), and a new lunar lander (which is still in the design stage). And then there's Gateway station, (a small spacecraft which will orbit the Moon, serving as a staging point for lunar expeditions), a new lunar rover, and a multitude of other things. Artemis is on a short timeline but NASA is moving quickly, not just to get back to the Moon, but to rejuvenate America's space program. Since the last Space Shuttle flight in 2011 America hasn't had an operational spacecraft – and it's been 47 years and counting since the final Apollo mission. Whether Artemis achieves that 2024 deadline or not, it's exciting to see NASA working on a plan for space exploration again. It's been too long since America looked toward the Moon, Mars – and the stars beyond.