The Artemis Moon missions
Did you know that only 24 humans made the trip from Earth to the Moon? It was as part of the Apollo program between and . A long time ago! And only 12 of them actually walked on the lunar surface. They were all American men. With the United States and other countries, Canada is now preparing for the Artemis program, which will bring more humans to the Moon, both around and on it.
Canadian astronauts
In return for contributing the Canadarm3 smart robotic system to the Lunar Gateway space station, Canada receives a range of opportunities, including two astronaut flights to the Moon. Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be part of Artemis II, the very first mission carrying people to the Moon in over 50 years. It will also mark the first time that a Canadian flies to the Moon. How exciting!
CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen (left) stands inside a model of the Orion spacecraft with his Artemis II crewmates: (left to right) NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Hammock Koch. (Credit: James Blair/NASA)
An artist's concept of the Orion spacecraft approaching the Lunar Gateway. (Credit: NASA)
What are the Artemis missions?
The NASA-led Artemis program is a series of lunar exploration missions that will lay the foundation for sustainable exploration of the Moon by humans and robots. It will bring the first woman and the first person of colour to the Moon.
Like the Apollo program, Artemis will begin with missions around the Moon (Artemis I and II) before a mission that lands on the lunar surface (Artemis III).
- Artemis I, a test flight with no astronaut aboard the Orion spacecraft, set to launch on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in ;
- Artemis II, the first-ever test flight with a crew aboard the Orion spacecraft (including a Canadian), scheduled to launch on the SLS rocket no earlier than ;
- Artemis III, the mission that will land on the Moon, set to launch no earlier than .
During later missions, astronauts will dock Orion to the Lunar Gateway. From the Gateway, astronauts will be able to venture to the lunar surface.
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