NASA’s Artemis program is a series of missions that will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery and economic benefits. According to NASA, the program builds a foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
Artemis missions
The Artemis program uses the Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket and the Orion spacecraft to transport astronauts and cargo. According to NASA, the SLS is the only rocket capable of carrying Orion, astronauts and cargo directly to the Moon in a single launch. The Orion spacecraft is at the core of the Artemis transportation system.
The program proceeds through increasingly difficult missions. Artemis I launched an uncrewed test flight in November 2022 to evaluate systems without astronauts or the critical life support systems planned for future crewed missions. In April 2026, Artemis II launched on a nearly 10-day voyage around the Moon, marking the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft aboard the SLS rocket.
During Artemis II, astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth. According to NASA, this set a record for the greatest distance humans have traveled in space.
NASA states Artemis III will launch in 2027 to test critical rendezvous and docking operations in low Earth orbit. This will involve Orion and test versions of commercial human landing systems. Artemis IV will be the first crewed Moon landing under the program, which NASA says will take place in 2028.
For Artemis IV, astronauts will travel on the SLS and Orion before transferring to a commercial human landing system to reach the lunar surface. Artemis V is expected to establish a cadence of one mission per year using the standardized configuration of the SLS rocket.
Infrastructure and landers
NASA develops and operates the systems and facilities needed to process, launch and recover rockets and spacecraft through its Exploration Ground Systems. This program is based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
To reach the lunar surface from orbit, NASA works with private industry to develop human landing systems, also called next-generation landers. These commercial landers will safely carry Artemis astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back.
The Extravehicular Activity Systems serves as NASA’s program to develop next-generation spacesuits and spacewalk support systems. These will enable astronauts to survive and work outside the confines of a spacecraft to explore on and around the Moon.
The Moon Base and Mars
The Artemis program includes plans for a Moon Base, humanity’s first lunar outpost near the Moon’s South Pole. Through a series of crewed and uncrewed missions, NASA and its partners will build the infrastructure needed to support an enduring human presence on the lunar surface.
According to NASA, Mars remains the horizon goal for human exploration because it is one of the only other places in the solar system where life may have existed. What is learned about the planet will tell more about Earth’s past and future, and may help answer whether life exists beyond Earth.
Artemis Accords
NASA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State and seven other initial signatory nations, established the Artemis Accords in 2020. The accords provide a common set of principles to enhance the governance of civil exploration and the use of outer space, as many countries and private companies conduct missions around the Moon.
The accords reinforce the commitment by signatory nations to the Outer Space Treaty, the Registration Convention, and the Rescue and Return Agreement. Principles include conducting cooperative activities exclusively for peaceful purposes, providing emergency assistance to astronauts in distress and the open sharing of scientific data.
Signatories also commit to plan for the mitigation of orbital debris, preserving historically significant sites in space and implementing temporary “safety zones” to avoid harmful interference between operations. As of October 2026, 78 nations have signed the Artemis Accords, according to NASA.