NASA’s Artemis Mission aims to land the first women and the next man on the moon, specifically the lunar south pole region by 2024. Using new technology, they will explore the Moon, taking key steps towards establishing a sustainable presence on the moon, and eventually even sending humans to Mars.
The Gateway will be the linchpin of the Artemis Mission. A space station in lunar orbit, the gateway will initially contain basic life support systems, some energy storage, and scientific instruments. Foremost amongst the scientific instruments will be devices like HERMES that will help us understand the impact of deep space conditions on human health. The Gateway will also have multiple docking stations for new modules. and as more modules are added, it will become a sophisticated spaceport that can act as a refuelling point for missions to Mars. The hope is that the Gateway will let us establish a permanent presence at the Moon analogously to how the International Space Station allows easy access to Low Earth Orbit.
NASA’s Artemis mission stands apart from the Apollo missions in that it will target much longer lunar missions. Artemis will also establish the groundwork for lunar trips lasting weeks and even months, and will retrieve lunar samples more effectively then the Apollo missions due to increased knowledge and advanced technologies. Furthermore Artemis mission will gather data and conduct experiments conducive to developing technologies like spacesuits and rockets that will open the door to manned deep space missions. Lastly Artemis will look for water and useful rare minerals on the lunar surface as well, again paving the way for a long term human presence on the Moon.
Space exploration has traditionally been the role of the government, however, space will only become widely and cheaply accessible when the private sector starts finding competitive and economical solutions to space travel. That’s why one of the most exciting aspects of the Artemis Mission is its large private sector involvement. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Dynetics and Northrop Grumman have all been commissioned to develop parts of the rocket and lunar lander. The private sector will gain valuable space mission design experience through Artemis, hopefully helping to kickstart the nascent space industry.
Although humans have been to the moon before, NASA’s Artemis mission has the far more ambitious goal of laying the foundations for sending humans to Mars and beyond. NASA’s aim of using this mission to develop technologies to send astronauts to Mars for the first time will not only transform aeronautics but also open doors to currently unheard of possibilities.
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