On July 16, 1969, the U.S. successfully landed 2 astronauts on the surface of the moon. It has been over 50 years since the Apollo missions and most people thought that we would never go back to the moon. But next year in 2024, NASA plans to land back on the moon with the Artemis missions.

Not only do they plan to land on the moon, but they also intend to stay there. With the landing on the moon, they are planning to make a moon base that will be used as a stop for future travel to Mars. It all starts at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From there they will launch the SLS rocket (Space Launch System), which will be the most powerful rocket ever made in the world when launched.

The Artemis Mission is split into 3 main parts, Artemis 1, 2, and 3. However, there are also 10 other planned missions that will carry out the Artemis mission. Artemis 1 was an uncrewed mission that sent the SLS rocket to the moon and back in November/December of 2022. In Artemis 2, which will be launched in 2024, will launch 4 people into space to see if the SLS rocket works as designed. And the Artemis 3 mission will take place in 2025 and will finally land the 4 astronauts on the moon to make a lunar base. This mission will also land the first female and first astronaut of color on the moon. These astronauts will spend a week on the moon, collecting scientific data.

The rest of the 10 missions don’t have much information yet, but they are planned to mainly construct space stations, moon bases, and more to further assist in the colonization of space and the moon.