Artemis Programme
NASA's Return to the Moon
The Artemis programme is NASA's multi-mission initiative to return humans to the Moon and eventually send humans to Mars. It is named after Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, and symbolises its aim to include the first woman and first person of colour on the lunar surface. The programme comprises: Artemis I (uncrewed lunar flyby, November 2022 — completed successfully); Artemis II (crewed lunar flyby, 2026); Artemis III (crewed lunar landing, targeted 2026-27, pending lander readiness); and beyond. The programme is conducted in partnership with international space agencies including the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), European Space Agency (ESA), and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), as well as commercial partners including SpaceX (lunar lander) and Blue Origin.
- Artemis I: Uncrewed mission, November-December 2022; Orion spacecraft travelled to ~432,000 km from Earth — farther than any human-rated spacecraft.
- Artemis II crew: Reid Wiseman (NASA, Commander), Victor Glover (NASA, Pilot), Christina Koch (NASA), Jeremy Hansen (CSA, Mission Specialist) — the first non-American to fly on a deep-space mission.
- Free-return trajectory: The spacecraft follows a path that uses the Moon's gravity to return to Earth without requiring a propulsive burn — emergency abort capability built into the trajectory.
- Total Artemis mission duration (Artemis II): 10 days; orbital altitude around Moon: approximately 8,900 km at closest approach.
- Artemis Accords: International agreement (not a treaty) establishing principles for peaceful, transparent, and sustainable space exploration; India is a signatory (signed 2023).
● Tracked since February 20, 2026 · last seen April 29, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes