New Artemis moon camera gets 1st field test (photos)

A researcher holds a white camera, which is focusing on a pair of hands shaping a pile of rocks and dirt on the ground.

NASA's Artemis 3 mission is slated to launch in September 2026, sending four astronauts to the moon's south polar region. 

Those explorers — and their colleagues on subsequent Artemis missions — will carry out a number of research projects, gathering data that will help scientists better understand the origin, history and evolution of the moon.