Artemis 1: Humanity's first step to return to the moon

NASA has successfully carried out Artemis 1. This is the first step for humanity to settle a permanent base on the moon and a possible jumping point to a manned mission to Mars.

Artemis 1's mission is to pick up where the Apollo program stopped several decades ago. In other words, it's the first step to a very long journey.

Picture: NASA / Joel Kowsky

Humanity reached the moon in 1969 with an expedition led by Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. Six missions of the Apollo Program managed to get 12 astronauts to walk on the moon, the last of these was Eugene Cernan in December 1972.

Several decades after the last Apollo mission, it's time for the Artemis program to reach the stars. The final goal now is more ambitious: establish a permanent moon base on its surface and orbit.

Picture: NASA

The goal of the Artemis project is to colonize the moon, with important facilities manned from Earth through lunar rovers and with the aid of satellites.

Picture: NASA / Laura Sasaninejad

NASA is not alone in this initiative. It has the partnership of the European Space Agency (ESA), which makes it an international mission. Plus the collaboration of a few private corporations.

Picture: NASA / Joel Kowsky

ESA plays a pivotal role, in designing and building the Orion spacecraft, the crewed ship that will fly around the moon, making sure it has oxygen, water, power, and fuel. The European Space Agency will also be in charge of managing six of the ten CubeSat Satellites that will be displayed.

Picture: ESA

The main goal is to set up a moon base that can function as a hub for future crewed missions to Mars, with the expectation for humans to set foot on the red planet by the 2030s.

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Among the goals is to ensure that the first female astronaut gets to set foot on the Moon. Not only that but they also aim in making a truly diverse space crew, breaking away from the prevalence of white male astronauts.

What is involved in the Artemis program? Through a series of missions, so far eleven have been planned, that will develop the necessary logistics to set up successfully a permanent moon base.

Picture: NASA

The plan was to have NASA's Space Launch System carry the Orion spacecraft to the moon, where it would fly around the lunar orbit for six days. This was done on late November 2022.

Picture: NASA

The SLS (Space Launch System) is the more modern replacement for the well-known Space Shuttle. It's a NASA expendable launch vehicle 322 ft (ca. 98 m) tall that carried the Orion spacecraft during Artemis 1 and will carry a planned crewed mission in Artemis 2.

Picture: NASA / Aubrey Gemignani

The Artemis I mission returned to Earth on December 11, 2022. Now it's all about the preparation of Artemis 2, a trip to the moon expected for 2024 with a human crew.

Picture: NASA / Cory Houston

An important part of the Artemis program is the CubeSats, small satellites that will fly around the moon, analyze the terrain, and find the right spot to set up a lunar base that can also be a launchpad to Mars.

Picture: NASA

The spaceship that traveled to the moon returned to the Earth on December 11 near the island of Guadalupe, west of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. NASA estimates that it can reach 25,000 miles (ca. 40,234 km) per hour during its atmospheric reentry, making it one of the most critical stages of the mission.

Picture: NASA / Aubrey Gemignani

Artemis 1 didn't have a human crew, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anybody on board. Three test dummies named Helga, Zohar, and Commander Campos, made with materials that simulate human bone and tissue, were used to study the effects of the space trip on the body to prepare for Artemis 2.

Picture: NASA / Frank Michaux

Spacecraft Orion also carried BioExpt-01, with the goal to evaluate the effects of deep space on the nutritional value of plant seeds, DNA repair of fungi, the adaptation of yeast, and gene expression of algae.

NASA investigators hope that with BioExpt-01 they can know better the effect of deep space on living organisms, which could be helpful for future missions to the Moon or even Mars.

“A mission that truly will do what hasn't been done and learn what isn't known,” declared Artemis Mission Manager Mike Serafin to the press from the NASA headquarters in Washington. “Pushing the edges of the envelope to prepare for that mission.”

Picture: NASA / Cory Houston

Now that Artemis 1 is a success, everything is set for Artemis 2 in 2024. This second mission would include four astronauts following the path pioneered by Artemis 1.

Picture: NASA / Isaac Watson

Artemis 3, originally planned for 2025, will be the moment that humans will set foot on the moon again. The plan is that a woman will have that honor. This mission, along with Artemis 2, will set the basis of Lunar Gateway, humanity's first moon base.

Picture: NASA

The moon landing and the construction of Lunar Gateway  are planned to be set on the South Pole of the moon, especially in one of 13 pre-selected spots. Why there? It's considered a strategic place due to the vast reserves of frozen water that might be there.

Artemis 4, scheduled for 2027, to Artemis 9 in 2032 would complete missions of the Artemis Program. However, Artemis 10 and 11 have been planned for 2033 and 2034, respectively. However, some dates have been delayed up to two years.

Picture: NASA / Josh Valcarcel

The launching of Artemis 1 was suspended several times. The first was scheduled on August 29 and the second on September 3, both from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Engine cooling problems and a fuel leak forced to delay of the takeoff to October.

Nonetheless, the launching was suspended once again due to Hurricane Ian hitting Florida in early October.

Finally, on November 16 and after much expectation, Artemis 1 left our planet.

Data from the NASA Office of the Inspector General put the cost of Artemis 1 into numbers: Artemis 1 so far has reached expenses of almost 4 billion US Dollars, which could be the average for the first four missions. Overall, the entire Artemis Program could surpass 93 billion US dollars.

Picture: NASA / Joel Kowsky

“We are developing the technologies to achieve an unprecedented human and robotic presence 240,000 miles (ca. 386,243 kilometers) from home. Our experience on the moon this decade will prepare us for an even greater adventure in the universe: A human exploration of Mars,” declared NASA engineer Kathy Lueders.

Picture: NASA

There's nothing else to do, except wait for the success of Artemis 1 and upcoming missions. If everything goes well, we should see the first woman walk on the moon, learn new secrets outside our planet and finally visit Mars.

Picture: NASA / Joel Kowsky