Artemis II is no longer just a plan — it’s a mission in progress. Four astronauts strapped into NASA’s Orion spacecraft and left Earth orbit, aiming for a looping trajectory around the Moon before returning home. This marks the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 splashed down in December 1972. Fifty-three years of waiting. It’s over now.
The Crew Behind the Mission
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen make up the four-person crew. Koch becomes the first woman ever assigned to a lunar mission — a milestone that took decades too long. Hansen is the first Canadian to make the journey, representing a new era of international partnership in deep space exploration.
Glover is no stranger to long missions — he spent over 160 days aboard the International Space Station during a previous flight. But this is different. There is no rescue option if something goes wrong in lunar space. The crew trained for three years, running thousands of hours in simulators at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Why Artemis II Is Different From the Apollo Missions
Artemis isn’t just a repeat of Apollo. The technology is newer, the ambitions are broader, and the geopolitical context is entirely different. Apollo was a Cold War race. Artemis is a coalition effort — over 40 nations have signed the Artemis Accords, agreeing to principles for peaceful lunar exploration. NASA’s building a coalition, not just a rocket.
The Orion spacecraft itself is generations ahead of the Apollo capsule. It has more habitable volume, better radiation protection, and advanced navigation systems that didn’t exist during the Apollo era. The heat shield was redesigned using materials science that simply wasn’t available in the 1960s.
The Massive Cost and What NASA Gets for It
The Artemis program has cost American taxpayers roughly $93 billion so far. That’s a staggering sum — but it’s worth understanding what that money purchased. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion capsule, the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center, and a decade of engineering work across thousands of contractors in all 50 states.
Critics argue NASA could have done this cheaper by relying more heavily on commercial partners — and SpaceX’s Starship is already contracted for the Artemis III lunar landing. But NASA’s budget also funds a research ecosystem that commercial spaceflight alone doesn’t replace.
What Happens After Artemis II
Artemis III is the mission everyone is really watching. That’s when two astronauts — including the first woman and the first person of color — will step onto the lunar surface. SpaceX’s Starship will handle the landing. If it works, it’ll be the first crewed Moon landing in history. Not a repeat of Apollo — an actual new beginning.
NASA’s long-term plan involves establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon. The Artemis base camp concept includes a surface habitat, a mobile home for traversing the lunar terrain, and the Gateway — a small space station in lunar orbit that can serve as a waypoint for multiple missions. The goal isn’t just to visit. It’s to stay.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings