Artemis I: First Moon Landing since Apollo 11

Artemis I is a NASA space program formally known as Exploration Mission-1. According to nasa.gov, this will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems: the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

This first mission of Artemis I is to assure a safe crew throughout the entire ascension and dissension. Along with this test the spacecraft will also carry 10 small satellites that will perform their own science and technology investigations. Artemis I is meant to provide information and a foundation for human deep space exploration to the Moon. Artemis I is the precursor to Artemis II, which will bring a human crew back to the Moon.

The benefits of Artemis I, and the eventual launch of Artemis II, will help fuel the space economy and give birth to new industries, but also allow the human species to expand beyond the borders of our planet. In the very near future, it would not be a stretch to see a space station on the Moon with a small number of people living on the Moon and thriving on the Moon. It seems like science fiction, but getting people back to the moon can set us up to be able to get to other planets, such as Mars. We would be able to shorten the distance between planets during space exploration and even be able to send out multiple shuttles at a time. The moon could also be used as a launch and landing point for shuttles coming back from travel, because the moon is metal rich containing metals such as titanium and aluminum, we could use those materials to reconstruct ships and build even more infrastructure on the moon. This would create a true moon base and give us a separate outlet for our future space exploration. 

The Sept. 2 launch was scrubbed but a new date is being set and with it human civilization is finally grasping at the expansions of space. The possibilities are endless with what we can do. With a successful Artemis I and II we could have the moon as a pit stop for ships traveling throughout the solar system as we colonize other planets and expand the human race.