A giant leap for womankind
In September, NASA announced its plans to land the first woman, and next man, on the Moon by 2024 as part of its Artemis missions.
The space agency is close to finishing work on its cutting-edge Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft – the vessel that it hopes will take humans back to the Moon and then, later, on to Mars.
The missions will begin with Artemis 1, an uncrewed test flight of SLS and Orion currently planned for November 2021. The mission will last for 26 days and include six days in lunar orbit.
Artemis 2, the first crewed mission for Orion, is currently planned for August 2023. The spacecraft will perform a flyby of the Moon before returning to Earth. If successful, it’ll be the first crewed spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
It’s hoped that October 2024 will see the launch of Artemis 3 – the first crewed mission to the Moon for more than 50 years. Two of the mission’s four astronauts will try to land on the Moon aboard the Human Landing System, while two remain in orbit on Orion.
“As we’ve solidified more of our exploration plans in recent months, we’ve continued to refine our budget and architecture. We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits and inspiration for a new generation of explorers,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.