ARTEMIS BEGINS

As Artemis I takes the first step in NASA's plan to return humans to the Moon, Shaoni Bhattacharya talks to the people behind the wider series of missions

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This year heralds the first crucial stage in NASA's ambitious plans to put 'boots back on the Moon', as Artemis I gets ready for launch.

Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test of two new space systems: the world's most powerful rocket - the Space Launch System - and the Orion crew spacecraft. It will travel to the Moon, skimming 100km above its surface before entering a retrograde orbit that takes it 70,000km beyond the lunar far side and returns to Earth 4-6 weeks later. Though it will have no human crew this time around, it will deploy multiple CubeSats to perform a range of science experiments.

Should all go well, Artemis II will take a four-person crew to lunar orbit and back no earlier than 2024. Finally, Artemis III aims to send astronauts to the lunar surface in 2025, with NASA vowing to put the first woman on the Moon and the first person of colour. Beyond this are plans for building the Lunar Gateway, a staging post in lunar orbit that will enable humans to stay at the Moon for months at a time. To learn more about the programme, we spoke to key figures across the Artemis project.

Orion's first flight

The Orion module will house future crews bound for the Moon and for deep space beyond. Its manager Debbie Korth reveals how Artemis I will put the new spacecraft through its paces

How will Artemis I test the Orion crew and service module before it carries humans in Artemis II?

There are several big systems that we want to check out. The Orion capsule has a 4.9m diameter heat shield - we need to see how that performs. Orion will come back from the Moon at about 40,000km/h and the heat shield will get to about 2,750°C.