The new era of human spaceflight is upon us with a crewed flight to the moon, on the Orion space capsule, scheduled for next year as part of NASA's Artemis II mission. This endeavor will only see astronauts reach lunar orbit, but is expected to pave the way for Artemis III, planned for Dec. 2025, a mission that will send crew members to actually step foot on the moon.
Not only will Artemis III see the first human presence on the moon's surface since 1972, but it will allow astronauts to spend seven days near the lunar south pole. Subsequent Artemis launches will also kickstart the possibility for even longer stays in space.
