THE FIRST OF MANY

Artemis I entails a 25-day flight bringing the Orion capsule to within 97km of the lunar surface before flying 64,400km beyond the moon and looping back to Earth. The capsule is expected to splash down at sea on Dec 11. For this mission, Orion carried a simulated crew of three fitted with sensors to measure radiation levels and other stresses that astronauts would experience.

Artemis 2 will take off in 2024 and will carry a crew of three on a lunar orbit without any touchdown on the moon.

Artemis 3 is scheduled for 2025, and is expected to ferry astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions.