Minutes before this article is published 2 years have passed since lots of us were in our houses witnessing the historic Artemis I launch

But what did Artemis I accomplish and what does the future hold for the program?

This article will be divided 2 parts:

Flight of Artemis I.
Future missions planned in the Artemis Program.

Note: As of writing, trusted space journalist Eric Berger has tweeted there’s a 50-50 chance of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket being canceled by President-elect Trump’s second administration.

Artemis I

Artemis I, which lifted off exactly 2 years before this article was published, marked the beginning of NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) return to the Moon.

This mission was the first integrated flight (uncrewed) of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket.

History

As with practically all space-related projects, this has had a longer than expected journey to get to its launch pad.

For the beginning of this mission, we have to go back to 2012, when Artemis I was known as EM-1 (Exploration Mission 1). At the time an integrated flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft was planned for 2017, and the flight would consist of a seven-day mission during which they would reach a circumlunar trajectory.

Construction of Orion’s ESM (European Service Module) began in 2013 by the ESA (European Space Agency). Core stage production by Boeing began in 2014 and in 2015 Lockheed Martin began building the primary structure for the capsule.

The core stage got its four RS-25 engines in November 2019 and it started testing. The stage underwent the Green Run test series, which are 8 tests of increasing difficulty. The stage aced its first seven tests but on the last test, in January 2021, an eight minute static fire of the engines was shut down prematurely. The test was reattempted on March 18, 2021, successfully.

SLS Core Stage getting ready for Green Run. (Credit: NASA)

Stacking came next, which began on November 23, 2020, inside the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building). The stacking followed the following order (all dates are in 2021, except specified):

Boosters stacked (November 23 2020 - March 2).
Core stage stacked (June 12).
ICPS (Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage) stacked (July 7).
Orion stage adapter stacked (October 8).
Orion, with launch abort system (October 20).

On March 17, 2022, the beautiful (in my opinion) SLS rocket rolled out of the High Bay to perform a pre-launch WDR (Wet Dress Rehearsal). After three failed attempts, NASA rolled the enormous rocket back for repairs on April 26th 2022. On June 6th 2022 the vehicle once again rolled out, and this time the outcome was different. Even though they suffered a hydrogen leak, they did an improvised WDR which was declared successful.

The moment everyone had been waiting for was next: launch. There were two scrubbed launch attempts on August 29 and September 3 (both 2022). Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Ian prevented a launch attempt in October, and the rocket had to be once again rolled back to the VAB on the 26th of September 2022.

After being rolled out in November, another meteorology issue appeared: Hurricane Nicole. This time, they left the rocket on the pad and no major damage was done.

On November 12th, NASA announced the launch date: November 16th.

The flight

Artemis I spectacularly took to the skies on the early morning hours of November 16th, 2022 from LC 39B (Launch Complex 39B) at the KSC (Kennedy Space Center). The historic launch occurred flawlessly. The spacecraft was then sent on a path to the Moon after the TLI (Trans Lunar Injection) cut-off, around an hour and a half after liftoff.

From November 21st until December 4th Orion beautifully orbited the Moon, making it the first crew-rated capsule to orbit the Moon in over 50 years.

This also gave us some high-resolution incredible images of the Moon behind the capsule.

On December 4th Orion exited lunar orbit.

Having been in space for almost a month, Orion made a glorious re-entry and splashdown at the Pacific Ocean off Baja California, and the capsule was successfully recovered by the US Navy’s USS (United States Ship) Portland.

Orion recovery after splashdown. (Credit: NASA)

An OIG report reveals new things…

On the 1st of May 2024, we discovered that what initially seemed a perfect flight wasn’t so flawless.

That day, NASA’s OIG (Office of Inspector General), released a report titled “NASA’s Readiness for the Artemis II Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit”.

This 43-page document revealed lots of intriguing details about Artemis I. The PDF stated:

“In particular, the test flight revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution that pose significant risks to the safety of the crew.”

Beginning with the heat shield, NASA found more than 100 locations where material from Orion’s heat shield wore away. Inspections of the Crew Module separation bolts discovered unexpected melting.

Damage in Artemis I heatshield. Screenshot from OIG report.

Melting and erosion of the separation bolts. Screenshot from OIG report.

They also specify there were 24 “instances of power distribution anomalies” in Orion. The agency found radiation as the root cause and has since implemented software changes.

ML-1 (Mobile Launcher 1) also experienced heavier damage than expected. While the EGS (Exploration Ground System) Program initially expected $5 million in repairs, the number has grown to more than $26 million.

Damage in elevators. Screenshot from OIG report.

There were also communication issues with the DSN (Deep Space Network).

Lastly, they identified “missed opportunities for data collection” due to issues in the imagery, inaccessible telemetry data and failure to recover jettisoned hardware after landing.

The OIG ended with six recommendations, of which the Agency concurred with all.

As you can tell by the images, the heat shield issue seems to be the most threatening issue for Artemis II. Recent rumors indicate NASA will make the decision to fly the heat shield “as-is” for Artemis II, changing the re-entry trajectory.

Lori Glaze (Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate) recently said that they expect testing to conclude by the end of November.

“I’m not going to share right now,"

"When it comes out, it’ll all come out together.”

According to Stephen Clark, Ars Technica contacted a NASA spokesperson for details on the root cause. The NASA spokesperson confirmed they have determined a root cause for the information, but that it is “under review”. The spokesperson also said more information will be released before 2024 ends.

There has been much speculation about the root cause not being revealed because of the US elections. It’s useful to note Ars talked with the spokesperson before the elections.

Future Artemis Planned Missions

Artemis II:

Launch Date: September 2025
Rocket(s): SLS Block I
Objectives: First crewed launch of SLS. They will perform a lunar flyby, making them the first people to leave LEO (Low Earth Orbit) since 1972 and the farthest a woman has ever been from Earth.

Artemis III:

Launch Date: September 2026
Rocket(s): SLS Block I, Starship
Objectives: Artemis III is planned to be the first crewed landing on the Moon since the Apollo program, this time at the Moon’s south pole and with the first woman / person of color. First flight of the Starship HLS (Human Landing System) lander.

Lunar Starship on the Moon (render). (Credit: SpaceX)

Artemis IV:

Launch Date: September 2028
Rocket(s): SLS Block IB, Starship
Objectives: Artemis IV will debut the upgraded SLS Block IB rocket and the Gateway space station & it will bring the I-Hab module to Gateway.

Artemis V:

Launch Date: March 2030
Rocket(s): SLS Block IB, New Glenn
Objectives: This mission will introduce the crewed Blue Moon MK2 lander. The astronauts will use the LTV (Lunar Transport Vehicle) unpressurized rover. Orion will also deliver the ESPRIT (European System Providing Refueling, Infrastructure and Telecommunications) Refueling Module to Gateway.

Blue Moon MK2 on the Moon. (Credit: Blue Origin)

Artemis VI:

Launch Date: March 2031
Rocket(s): SLS Block IB, TBD (To Be Decided) rocket carrying a commercial lander
Objectives: Crewed lunar landing and delivery of the Arab Crew and Science Airlock to the Gateway space station.

Artemis VII:

Launch Date: March 2032
Rocket(s): SLS Block IB, TBD rocket carrying a commercial lander
Objectives: Crewed lunar landing and delivery of JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Lunar Cruiser to the Moon, which will be the first pressurized lunar rover.

Lunar Cruiser on the Moon. (Credit: Toyota)

Artemis VIII:

Launch Date: 2033
Rocket(s): SLS Block IB, TBD rocket carrying a commercial lander
Objectives: Longer stay on the moon, delivery of the Foundational Surface Habitat to the surface and lunar surface logistics

Foundational Surface Habitat concept. (Credit: NASA)

Artemis IX:

Launch Date: 2034
Rocket(s): SLS Block 2, TBD rocket carrying a commercial lander
Objectives: First flight of SLS Block 2, carrying additional lunar surface logistics.

Artemis X:

Launch Date: 2035
Rocket(s): SLS Block 2, TBD rocket carrying a commercial lander
Objectives: Around half a year long, delivery of lunar surface logistics.

Artemis XI:

Launch Date: 2036
Rocket(s): SLS Block 2, TBD rocket carrying a commercial lander
Objectives: First year-long lunar mission, expansion of lunar base and crew shift.