BIG NEWS ! NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission Has Landed

NASA'S ARTEMIS I MOON MISSION HAS LANDED

The unmanned Artemis I test mission has concluded, but the first astronaut-manned test flight, Artemis II, won't take place until at least 2024.

Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, lashed out about the distance between Artemis I and Artemis II during a summertime interview. He said, "I've been raising Cain. "Why can't we obtain it quicker than two years if this first mission is successful, accomplishes the objectives, and is safe for the astronauts?"

According to Mr. Nelson, NASA decided in the past to reuse some of the avionics electronics components from the Artemis I Orion capsule in the new Orion capsule for Artemis II in order to save money. Mr. Nelson stated, "I find it very frustrating that it takes them two years to remove and redo the avionics, but it is what it is.

Onboard Artemis II will be four astronauts. As part of the agreement outlining the Canadian Space Agency's participation in the Artemis programme, three will be from NASA and one will be from Canada. Who will fly on the trip has not yet been disclosed by NASA.

The path of Artemis II will be quite straightforward. After launch, Orion will be propelled into an elliptical orbit that loops as far away from Earth as 1,800 miles by the second stage of the Space Launch System, allowing the astronauts time to observe Orion's systems in action.

Then, as Orion circles rapidly once more, its engine will ignite and direct it toward the moon. The Orion spacecraft will not orbit the moon for Artemis II; instead, it will use the moon's gravity to sling back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. 

The journey should take about ten days in total.
The main event, Artemis III, is anticipated to take place no early than 2025.The lunar lander used for the Apollo moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s was tucked within the Saturn V rocket. A SpaceX Starship rocket variant will serve as the Artemis III lander. 

Separate launches will be made for the lunar Starship. Then more Starships would take off to refuel the lunar Starship before it departed from Earth orbit.

The Starship lander will enter a near-rectilinear halo orbit, or N.R.H.O., when it reaches the moon.
The gravitational pull of two bodies, in this case the Earth and the moon, influences halo orbits, which help to make the orbit extremely stable and reduce the amount of propellant required to keep a spacecraft circling the moon. Additionally, a spacecraft in this orbit never crosses in front of the moon, which cuts off connection with Earth.

The Space Launch System rocket will launch four humans in an Orion spacecraft to the same almost rectilinear halo orbit once Starship is in an orbit around the moon. 

The Starship and the Orion will dock together. While the other two astronauts stay in orbit aboard Orion, two of the astronauts will transfer to the Starship rocket and arrive somewhere close to the South Pole of the moon.

The two moonwalkers will launch in Starship after spending approximately a week on the surface and will eventually meet up with Orion in orbit. The four astronauts will then return to Earth aboard Orion.

NASA revealed 13 prospective landing locations close to the south pole of the moon in August.

A space station-like outpost called Gateway will be constructed by NASA in the same almost rectilinear halo orbit as Artemis III, and the astronauts on board Artemis IV will travel there. To carry the habitat module for Gateway on that mission, a Space Launch System rocket with an enhanced second stage will be used.

Initially, NASA intended for Artemis IV to concentrate on Gateway development. But this year, it was agreed to include a flight to the lunar surface in the mission. NASA said last month that SpaceX would supply the lander for Artemis IV.

The lunar lander will be docked at Gateway for Artemis V and subsequent missions. The Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts to the Gateway, where they will transfer to the lander for the trip to the lunar surface.

Currently, NASA is accepting proposals from multiple businesses to supply the lander for Artemis V.

Jeff Bezos' rocket company Blue Origin, which he founded along with his Amazon co-founder Elon Musk, is one of the businesses that may be putting in a bid to construct a rival lander.

Then, similar to how it selected businesses to transport passengers and freight to the International Space Station, NASA would hold a competition for future lunar landers.