NASA’s Artemis 2 — a 10 day historic mission has finally ended — marking the first crewed journey to the Moon since Apollo 17, safely bringing four astronauts back following a lunar flyby, hinting a major step forward in human space exploration.
Artemis 2 splashdown
Artemis 2 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a high-speed re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, travelling for over 1,117,500 km in a historic lunar mission.
What are NASA’s next plans after the massively successful mission of Artemis 2?
Following a successful mission of Artemis 2, NASA is eyeing for Artemis 3, which is redesigned to revolve around Earth‘s orbit instead of landing on the Moon.
Artemis 3 mission may experiment docking capabilities between the Orion spacecraft and lunar landers developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin, namely Starship and Blue Moon.
This step plays a pivotal role in attempting a crewed lunar landing.
If successful, Artemis 4 mission may occur, sending astronauts near the Moon’s south pole by 2028 using the cutting-edge Human Landing System vehicles.
Beyond that, NASA is planning to establish a sustainable lunar base by 2032, allowing long-term human presence and scientific research.
Though Artemis 2 has paved the way for lunar landings in future, some key challenges still remain.
Some technologies such as lunar landers remain unproven and systems aboard Orion need refinements following minor problems during the latest mission.
However, with some progress and international partnership, NASA is steadily progressing toward its long-term vision, using the Moon as a stepping stone for future human missions to Mars.
