On November 16th of 2022, NASA’s spacecraft, Artemis 1 was sent off for a test run. Artemis 1 launched at exactly 1:47 A.M.

With Artemis, the first woman and person of color will step foot on the moon in the near future. Artemis 1 will have no crew for the flight test of the space launch system as well as the Orion spacecraft orbiting the moon.

In Artemis 2 there will be 4 crew members sent to perform a lunar flyby test and return to earth in 2024, however, no crew has been established yet.

The next launch in 2025, Artemis 3 will carry the first woman and person of color to the moon. They will be there for a week to perform scientific studies specializing on the lunar surface and bring more information with them back to earth than before.

NASA’s website states “We’re going back to the moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers”. Artemis has been a work in progress since 2012 and the launch has been postponed twice due to difficulties with the spacecraft, but as of right now Artemis is on the launchpad at the Kennedy space center.

NASA will be collaborating with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term stay on the moon. NASA then plans to use what they learn around and on the moon to take the next giant leap in space discovery to send astronauts to visit mars.

As of right now, reports on the spacecraft have been shared, and Artemis 1 successfully launched. Artemis is now expected to travel 40,000 beyond the far side of the moon. That’s the furthest a spacecraft that is expected to carry humans has ever been. Artemis now continues its 25-day journey.