Artemis Program

Artemis Insignia

### Agency/Company

NASA, ESA, JAXA, CSA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Relativity Space, Axiom Space

## Extras

### Last Launch

Artemis 7 (August 7, 2033)

The Artemis Program is an ongoing manned space program led by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and co-led by several space agencies from other countries, as well as multiple private companies. In Artemis, humans have been sent to the Moon for the first time in 58 years, since Apollo 17 in 1972, and in the future, a lunar outpost in planned for the program.

As of right now, there have been 8 main launches in the Artemis Program, as well as many construction missions for Gateway, a lunar orbital station used for the program.

### Agencies & Companies

#### European Space Agency (ESA)

The European Space Agency, better simply known as ESA, is the official space agency of the European Union, ESA has played a big role in the construction of Gateway, and in return, European astronauts have landed on the Moon in these Lunar landings.

#### Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, better simply known as JAXA, is the official space agency of Japan, they have launched the relay satellites needed to observe the Moon and it's Lunar south pole for any potential benefits/risks the south pole can have. Artemis VII had the first Japanese cosmonaut land on the Moon.

#### Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

The Canadian Space Agency, better simply known as CSA, is the official space agency of Canada, has built Canadarm3 for Gateway, and is the main cooperation agency in the lunar landings, 5 Canadian astronauts have already landed on the Moon as of 2033

#### SpaceX

Main Article: SpaceX

SpaceX is a privately held space company located in the United States, their contribution to the program includes resupplying Gateway before every mission, on another hand, SpaceX has a contract with NASA to develop the Falcon X-A, a variant of the Falcon X rocket that will be used for future Artemis missions after the Space Launch System, the current rocket used for Artemis missions, is retired.

#### Blue Origin

Main Article: Blue Origin

Blue Origin is another space company located in the United States, they have developed a family of lunar landers known as Blue Moon, for robotic, and crewed landings in the Artemis Program, and Artemis support missions, originally, SpaceX was going to build the lunar lander for the missions, but was replaced by Blue Origin after SpaceX opt out of the HLS program.

#### Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a privately held space company contracted to build many of the modules of Gateway, and the Foundational Surface Habitat for the future Lunar base, they have also been contracted to develop a spacecraft that is propelled by nuclear thermal energy, rather than the traditional chemical propulsion, for greater efficiency in Lunar, and eventually Martian landings.

#### Relativity Space

Main Article: Relativity Space

Alongside Axiom Space, Relativity was given a $2.2 Billion contract to build a series of 3d printing rovers for construction of the future Artemis Base Camp. Testing of the rovers began in 2032, with an initial launch date of 2036.

#### Axiom Space

Alongside Relativity Space, Axiom has a $2.2 Billion contract for the development and launch of future 3d-printing rovers for construction of the future Artemis Base Camp, Axiom will develop the exterior of the rovers and make sure that they are capable of existing in a vacuum and in such extreme temperatures like the Moon.

### Components

#### Space Launch System

The Space Launch System is an expendable super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA to be the crew launch vehicle for Artemis missions. It currently has two variants, Block 1, and Block 1B, Block 1 was used from 2022 until 2028 for the earlier Artemis test flights leading up to the Lunar landings, and Block 1B first entered operation in 2030 on Artemis V, the first crewed Lunar landing, it is the current variant being used in the Artemis missions. SLS is however planned to retire after January 2034, with Artemis-9 being the final launch of the SLS all together, after then it will be replaced by a commercial launch vehicle of NASA's choice.

#### Orion MPCV

The Orion MPCV, simply known as Orion, is the crewed orbital spacecraft for the Artemis missions, Orion was originally planned to be used in the earlier Constellation Program, but after it's cancellation, the spacecraft was recycled for Artemis. Orion has two parts, the Command Module, and the European Service Module. The Command Module is the capsule pod for the crew, and contains all of the systems for the Orion, while the European Service Module provides the logistics and propulsion for the spacecraft. Orion was first launched in 2014 aboard the Exploration Flight Test-1, and to this day is still used for crewed Lunar missions.

#### Lunar Gateway

> Main Article: Gateway Program
>
>

The Lunar Gateway Space Station, simply also known as Lunar Gateway, or just Gateway, is an orbital space station created around the Moon for the Artemis Program. The Gateway provides habitat and logistics for the orbital crew, while the landing crew explores the Lunar surface. Gateway is divided between 5 stationary modules, Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), International Habitat (I-HAB), ESPRIT Refueling Module and an Airlock Module, as well as a few different motioned modules, such as the Blue Moon lander, and the Orion spacecraft. The first expedition of Gateway was in 2027 aboard Artemis III, and since then, 6 expedition of Gateway have been launched.

#### Blue Moon

Blue Moon is a family of lunar lander spacecraft developed by Blue Origin for the Artemis Program, Blue Moon has 2 variants, MK1, the cargo lander, and MK2, the crewed lander. Blue Moon contains two stages, the lower stage which will descend to and land on the Moon, and the upper stage, which will lift off, detaching from the lower stage, and flying into orbit, eventually docking with Gateway. The first test flight of Blue Moon was an orbital flight test launched on June 2028, and then a landing demo on March 2029, and was first used in Artemis V on January 2030.

#### Logistics Spacecraft

Throughout the program, two different spacecraft were used for logistics and supplying of Gateway, the first was the SpaceX Dragon XL, which was used in the first two supplying missions, and Blue Ring, made by Blue Origin, which has been used since. These spacecraft are needed to supply Gateway with the necessities needed for the crew to survive.

#### Commercial Launch Vehicles

The Space Launch System is planned to reitre in 2034, and so, a new commercial launch vehicle will take it's place afterwards, and in a meeting in 2031, multiple different companies have been given contracts for potential future Lunar launch vehicles. SpaceX will build a modified version of the Falcon Heavy to launch the crew and the Orion spacecraft. Other contracts include Arianegroup, Relativity Space and United Launch Alliance.

#### Artemis Base Camp

Artemis Base Camp is a planned addition to the Artemis Program as a permanent Lunar outpost, the first module is planned to launch in 2038, afterwards the base will be expanded with new 3d-printed modules, the base will contain a crew of 3 (more will be added as the base expands) for up to 2 months at a time (that will also go up in the future) and will be supplied by commercial landers.

#### Moon Critter

Moon Critter is a series of small Lunar rovers being developed by Axiom Space and Relativity Space, these rovers will collect Moon stone to conduct logistics of the future Artemis Base Camp, the Moon Critter Demo was launched on April 2033, with the first planned use in Artemis being in 2037.