When will the Artemis II mission launch? What to know about NASA, SpaceX lunar exploration

Megan Cardona
·3 min read
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NASA’s Artemis Program is planned to send humans to the moon for the first time in over 50 years along with the first astronaut exploration of Mars.

SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, was selected by NASA to create a moon lander for human exploration.

Here’s what to know about the program and SpaceX’s involvement.

When did the Artemis program start?

Former President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive 1 in December 2017 which provides for a U.S.-led program integrated with private sector partners to return humans to the moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond.

The policy was inspired by an unanimous recommendation by the National Space Council, which was chaired by former Vice President Mike Pence at the time. The council was created in 1989, was inactive between 1993-2017 and was reestablished in 2017 under the Trump administration.

How many Artemis missions are planned?

NASA’s Artemis program has four missions planned all in this decade.

Artemis I launched Nov. 16, 2022 and made a splashdown on Dec. 11, 2022. No humans were aboard the rocket.

Artemis II will be the first mission with astronauts aboard and will be a 10-day journey around the moon.

Artemis III, planned for 2025, will be the mission expected to bring four humans back to the moon, two of who will walk the surface. Artemis IV, planned for 2027, will also include a crew of four astronauts.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher as it is rolled up the ramp at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems.

How is SpaceX involved with the Artemis program?

NASA selected SpaceX to develop the first commercial human lander to safely carry the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface. The human landing system will be used for both Artemis III and Artemis IV.

A contract modification announced in 2022, called Option B, directs SpaceX to develop and demonstrate a Starship lunar lander that meets NASA’s sustaining requirements for missions beyond Artemis III.

SpaceX’s Human Landing System, or HSL, Starship will include a spacious cabin and two airlocks for astronaut moonwalks. NASA aims to have the Starship architecture evolve to have a fully reusable launch and landing system designed for travel to the Moon, Mars and other destinations.

As part of that contract, SpaceX will conduct an uncrewed demonstration mission to the Moon before the official Artemis III launch.

Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, was a finalist for the Artemis program and appealed NASA’s selection of SpaceX in 2021 alleging Musk’s system would require 16 Starship launches to get a HLS system to the moon.

“16 flights is extremely unlikely,” Musk said in an Aug. 11, 2021 tweet.

When will Artemis II launch?

Artemis II is planned to launch in November 2024.

Artemis II is not the mission that will return astronauts to the moon, but the-day journey is expected to pave the way for lunar exploration.

NASA announced the four Artemis II astronauts on April 3: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen.

When will humans return to the moon?

The last time humans went to the moon was in 1972. There have been 24 people, all Americans, who made the journey from the Earth to the moon; out of the 24 people, 12 walked the moon’s surface.

Artemis III is planned for 2025 and would bring four astronauts to the moon, with two walking the lunar surface.