The Artemis programme, NASA’s new moon mission

What is the News?

National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) has rolled out its Artemis I moon mission to the launchpad for testing at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, United States.

What is Artemis Mission?

To be Launched by: NASA 

Named After: The mission is named after the twin sister of Apollo from Greek mythology. Artemis is also the goddess of the moon.

Aim: To land the first female astronaut and the first astronaut of colour on the Moon’s the South Pole by 2024. 

Other space agencies involved in the mission are: Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Significance: With this mission, NASA aims to contribute to scientific discovery and economic benefits and inspire a new generation of explorers.

Artemis I

Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems.

It will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.

During this flight, Orion ​​spacecraft will be launched on Space Launch System(SLS)  — the most powerful rocket in the world — and travel 2,80,000 miles from the earth for over four to six weeks during the course of the mission. 

The Orion spacecraft is going to remain in space without docking to a space station, longer than any ship for astronauts has ever done before.

What after Artemis I Mission?

After Artemis-I, the second flight under the Artemis programme will be launched. It will have a crew on board and will test Orion’s critical systems. 

Eventually, the learnings from the Artemis programme will be utilized to send the first astronauts to Mars. NASA plans on using the lunar orbit to gain the necessary experience to extend the human exploration of space farther into the solar system.

Source: This post is based on an article “The Artemis programme, NASA’s new moon mission” published in The Hindu on 24th March 2022