"Exploration program" and "Exploration missions" redirect here. For space exploration in general, see Space exploration.
List of missions in the Orion and Artemis deep space exploration programs by the United States
The Artemis program is a human spaceflight program by the United States. The Artemis program is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972; mid-term objectives include establishing an international expedition team, and a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Long-term objectives for Artemis are laying the foundations for the extraction of lunar resources, and eventually making crewed missions to Mars and beyond feasible.
To date, missions in the program are aimed at exploration of the Moon, including crewed and robotic exploration of the lunar surface. These explorations will be more focused towards areas such as the lunar poles and the far side of the moon. Three flights of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle are currently planned for launch in the Artemis program in the early 2020s, beginning with Artemis 1. Before Artemis was named, the flights were referred to as "Orion missions". Numerous supporting scientific and technology demonstration missions are planned for launch under the program's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), in addition to planned and proposed uncrewed logistical missions to construct and resupply the Gateway and its expendable and reusable lunar landers in lunar orbit.
Maiden flight of the SLS, formerly "Exploration Mission 1" (EM1), carrying an uncrewed Orion capsule and ten CubeSats selected through several programs.[3] The payloads were sent on a trans-lunar injection trajectory.[4][5]
The lander carried multiple payloads, with a total payload mass capacity of 90 kg.[23] However, the spacecraft was unable to reach the moon because of a propellant leak. It burned up over the Pacific Ocean on 18 January.[24]
The lander carried six NASA-sponsored instruments, as well as six payloads from other customers, including EagleCAM.[26] The Odysseus lander successfully touched down at Malapert A near the lunar south pole on 22 February 2024.[27] The mission ended after 7 days with the onset of lunar night, after which no further signals from the spacecraft were received.[28]
^Crane, Aimee (11 June 2019). "Artemis 1 Flight Control Team Simulates Mission Scenarios". NASA. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019. ...after the Space Launch System performs the Trans-Lunar Injection burn that sends the spacecraft out of Earth orbit and toward the Moon. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^Clark, Stephen (22 July 2019). "First moon-bound Orion crew capsule declared complete, major tests remain". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019. The Artemis 1 mission profile. Credit: NASA [...] The Artemis 1 mission will send the Orion spacecraft into a distant retrograde lunar orbit and back...
^Foust, Jeff (17 July 2024). "NASA cancels VIPER lunar rover". SpaceNews. Retrieved 31 July 2024. NASA said Griffin was now expected to be ready for the mission no earlier than September 2025.
^Foust 2019, "After Artemis 3, NASA would launch four additional crewed missions to the lunar surface between 2025 and 2028. Meanwhile, the agency would work to expand the Gateway by launching additional components and crew vehicles and laying the foundation for an eventual Moon base".