What Makes Artemis Our Next Leap Forward?
The Apollo Program gave humanity its first experience traveling to a foreign world. Artemis will launch us into a new era of discovery.
When NASA astronauts return to the Moon through Artemis, they will benefit from decades of innovation, research, and technological advancements. We’ll return to the Moon in the spirit of goodwill and peaceful exploration—a commitment to shared values and norms, working with industry and international partners.
Artemis will create new opportunities for exploration
Lessons learned since the Apollo era inform NASA’s plans for developing a long-term human presence at the Moon and are guiding us as we prepare to send the first astronauts to Mars. With Artemis, we’ll land where humans have never gone before: the lunar South Pole.
A Full Moon Over Artemis (2022-06-14) by NASA/Cory HustonNASA
Meet the world’s most powerful rocket
The Saturn V rocket may have launched America’s journey to the Moon, but our Space Launch System (SLS) has the capability to take us even farther. The core stage is the world’s tallest rocket stage, supporting the weight of the payloads, upper stage, and the Orion spacecraft.
More power, more room for cargo
During liftoff, SLS will produce 8.8 million pounds (4 million kilograms) of maximum thrust, 15 percent more than the Saturn V rocket. The high-performance rocket will provide the power to help Orion reach a speed of 24,500 mph—the speed needed to send it to the Moon.
Rocket to the Moon... and beyond
SLS can send 59,500 pounds (about 27,000 kg) of payloads to the Moon—significantly more than the Saturn V. And the rocket can evolve into increasingly more powerful configurations to fulfill our future needs for deep space missions.
NASA’s Orion spacecraftNASA
Orion: Built to fly farther
NASA’s next-generation human exploration spacecraft, Orion, will fly its first uncrewed mission to deep space on Artemis I. During the mission, Orion will travel about 40,000 miles (65,000 km) beyond the Moon—farther than any spaceship designed to carry humans has ever flown.
A cockpit designed with crew in mind
Orion is larger and can fit more astronauts than Apollo could — four, compared to Apollo’s three. And the seats inside Orion’s crew cabin are adjustable, which means they can fit a wide range of human body shapes and sizes.
A spacecraft for the digital era
Other advancements include better radiation protection, a stronger heat shield, and modern computers and avionics. Compared to Apollo's single flight computer, Orion has four computer systems, each of which has 128,000 times more memory and is 20,000 times faster than Apollo’s.
Artemis missions will launch from our 21st-century spaceport
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will facilitate the launch of upcoming Moon exploration missions. The agency has transformed Kennedy from a government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport that can handle both government and commercial operations.
Saturn Apollo Program (1969-07-20)NASA
Artemis isn't just about American boot prints on the Moon
It's about creating new opportunities for exploration and discovery. The infrastructure needed to sustain a long-term human presence on the Moon exceeds what was technologically possible during the Apollo era.
A series of missions will send payloads to the lunar surface
One example is the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER. Arriving ahead of astronauts, this robotic rover will search and map the lunar surface for water ice and other resources that could be harvested for future human space exploration.
A (space)suit for every occasion
New spacesuits will be able to accommodate a larger range of body sizes, allowing for greater mobility and increased protection from the harsh environment of space.
Astronauts on exploration missions will dock at the Gateway
Built through international and commercial partnerships, this planned lunar-orbiting space station will host astronauts on expeditions, providing them with a place to live and work, conduct experiments, and prepare for expeditions to the Moon’s surface.
Lunar landers will ferry astronauts and cargo to the Moon
Currently in development, crewed and uncrewed landers will be able to transport more science and technology—and will support longer stays—than their Apollo-era equivalents.
Artemis missions will enable long-term exploration — much of the technology we send to the lunar surface is designed to be used multiple times.
The Artemis Base Camp: A home away from home
Technological limitations during the 1960s and 1970s meant astronauts could only stay on the Moon's surface for a relatively short period of time. Artemis will improve on this by giving astronauts a place to live and work on the Moon for extended stays.
The key to establishing a sustainable human presence
The Artemis Base Camp, a fixed lunar habitat for explorers, includes a modern cabin, a lunar terrain vehicle, and a ‘camper van’-style mobility platform to support astronauts on long-range exploration missions for up to a few weeks at a time.
Driven by new questions about the fundamental nature of the Moon and the universe, the science we conduct on the lunar surface will improve our understanding of the Earth, Moon, and inner Solar System.
Artemis will be supported by an international coalition
This new era of discovery requires all of humanity to help make these ventures possible. Countless contributions from space agencies around the world are contributing to an innovative and long-term approach to lunar exploration.
Peaceful exploration for humanity
America and the world are ready for this new era of space exploration. The Apollo Program gave humanity its first experience traveling to a foreign world. NASA's planetary probes and great observatories have revealed the Universe and many of its mysteries.
135 NASA space shuttle missions, 20+ years of building and upgrading the International Space Station, and decades of continuous human presence in space have helped us learn to live and work beyond our home planet.
Concept art of the Moon and Mars by NASANASA
Our next adventure starts when SLS and Orion roar off the launch pad. Everything we’ve learned, and everything we will discover will prepare us for our next giant leap: human exploration of Mars.
