Artemis is a project launched by NASA to send people to the moon. This is an ongoing project still in progress, and we have just now gone to the moon again after many years! The program aims for new exploration in our solar system. 

The first-ever Artemis program took place in November, all the way back in 2022. It was a 25-day program, which was more safe grounded and to put confirmation in more space exploration. The first Artemis program helped confirm the possibility of more exploration in space, making sure the rocket worked, temperatures were sustainable, etc.

Thanks to the success rate, we were able to develop more advanced technology

The Artemis program, also called EM-1, as it was the first exploration, helped identify the Lunar Orbital Flight test and the possibility of revisiting the moon and the solar system. It was a 1.4 million-mile journey just to get out of Earth. Thanks to the help of the Orion spacecraft, we were able to go so far. The spacecraft had to be tested multiple times to make sure it was safe, which took approximately 47 vacuum days. During these tests, they had to make sure the environmental temperature was sustainable, go through 34 radiation detectors, and undergo an additional 11 months of flight safety. Our biggest holdback was at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility, which helped us progress further and potentially get to where we are now, with the Artemis II. 

After building up from the Artemis, we were able to test out Artemis II

Artemis II was a 10-day moon exploration program launched on April 10, 2026, with a crew of 4 people. The crew consisted of NASA’s Reid Wiseman, given the role of a commander, Victor Glover, who was the pilot, Christina Koch, one of the mission specialists, and CSA’s Jeremy Hansen, who was also the mission specialist. Thanks to previous testing, the Orion spacecraft successfully performed a flight up to 4,600 miles above the moon. This is the furthest humans have ever traveled in deep space. We were able to take multiple photos of the moon and many new perspectives on the solar system. Breaking the record for the furthest humans have been able to explore and continuing to new, groundbreaking discoveries.