RETURN TO THE MOON.

This article focuses on NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by the late 2020s, with a crewed lunar landing planned for Artemis IV. Building on the legacy of the Apollo missions, Artemis involves multiple launches using the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft, with test flights Artemis I (uncrewed) and Artemis II (crewed lunar orbit) preceding the landing mission. Artemis IV will feature a lunar lander, likely based on SpaceX’s Starship or an alternative by Blue Origin, and will target the Moon’s south pole due to its potential water ice deposits. The program also includes plans for the Gateway space station in near-rectilinear halo orbit to support longer missions and future lunar bases, reflecting a more science-driven and international approach compared to Apollo. [Extracted from the article]