Artemis program

In March 2018, NASA established the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program with the aim of sending small robotic landers and rovers mostly to the lunar south pole region as a precursor to and in support of crewed missions.[30][31][32] The main goals include scouting of lunar resources, in situ resource utilization (ISRU) feasibility testing, and lunar science.[33] NASA is awarding commercial providers indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts to develop and fly lunar landers with scientific payloads.[34] The first phase considered proposals capable of delivering at least 10 kg (22 lb) of payload by the end of 2021.[34] Proposals for mid-sized landers capable of delivering between 500 kg (1,100 lb) and 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of cargo were planned to also be considered for launch beyond 2021.[35]

In November 2018, NASA announced the first nine companies that were qualified to bid on the CLPS transportation service contracts (see list below).[36] On 31 May 2019, three of those were awarded lander contracts: Astrobotic Technology, Intuitive Machines, OrbitBeyond.[37] On 29 July 2019, NASA announced that it had granted OrbitBeyond's request to be released from obligations under the contract citing "internal corporate challenges".[38]

The first twelve payloads and experiments from NASA centers were announced on 21 February 2019.[39] On 1 July 2019, NASA announced the selection of twelve additional payloads, provided by universities and industry. Seven of these are scientific investigations while five are technology demonstrations.[40]

The Lunar Surface Instrument and Technology Payloads (LSITP) program was soliciting payloads in 2019 that do not require significant additional development. They will include technology demonstrators to advance lunar science or the commercial development of the Moon.[41][42]

In November 2019, NASA added five contractors to the group of companies who are eligible to bid to send large payloads to the surface of the moon with to the CLPS program: Blue Origin, Ceres Robotics, Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceX, and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems.[43][44]

In April 2020, NASA selected Masten Space Systems for a follow-on CLPS delivery of cargo to the Moon in 2022.[45][46]

In February 2021, NASA selected Firefly Aerospace for a CLPS launch to Mare Crisium in mid-2023.[47][48]

On 5 May 2020, Reuters reported that the Trump administration was drafting a new international agreement outlining the laws for mining on the Moon.[50] NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine officially announced the Artemis Accords on 15 May 2020 will be a series of a bilateral agreements between the governments of participating nations in the Artemis program "grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967".[51][10] The Artemis accords have been criticized by some American researchers as "a concerted, strategic effort to redirect international space cooperation in favor of short-term U.S. commercial interests".[52] The Accords were signed by the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates on 13 October 2020,[52] and later signed by Ukraine and Brazil also.[53][54]

Planned evolution of the Space Launch System, the primary launch vehicle for Orion

The Space Launch System (SLS) is a United States super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle, which has been under development since its announcement in 2011. The main launch vehicle planned to be used for the Artemis lunar program, as of May 2020 is the United States Space Launch System (SLS). NASA is required to utilize SLS Block 1 by the U.S. Congress to lift a payload of 95 t (209,000 lb) to low Earth orbit (LEO), and will launch Artemis 1, 2, and 3. The later Block 1B is intended to debut the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) and launch the notional Artemis 4-7.[63] Block 2 is planned to replace the initial Shuttle-derived boosters with advanced boosters and would have a LEO capability of more than 150 t (150 long tons; 170 short tons), again as required by Congress.[64] Block 2 is intended to enable crewed launches to Mars.[3] The SLS will launch the Orion spacecraft and use the ground operations capabilities and launch facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Some variations of the SLS launch manifest has all the blocks being active at the same time rather than one block replacing the last as is common with launchers.

SLS Core Stage rolling out from the Michoud Assembly Facility on 8 January 2020, ahead of the Artemis 1 Mission.

In March 2019, the Trump Administration released its Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request for NASA. This budget did not initially include any money for the Block 1B and Block 2 variants of SLS but later a request for a budget increase of US1.6 billion dollars towards SLS, Orion, and crewed landers was made. Block 1B is currently intended to debut on Artemis 4 and will be used mainly for co-manifested crew transfers and logistics rather than constructing the Gateway as initially planned. An uncrewed Block was planned to launch the Lunar Surface Asset in 2028, the first lunar outpost of the Artemis program, but now that launch has been moved to a commercial launcher.[65] Block 2 development will most likely start in the late 2020s after NASA is regularly visiting the lunar surface and shifts focus towards Mars.[66]

In October 2019, it was announced NASA had authorized Boeing to purchase materials in bulk for more SLS rockets ahead of the announcement of a new contract. This contract is expected to support up to ten core stages and eight Exploration Upper Stages for the SLS 1B to transfer heavy payloads, up to 40 metric tons, on a lunar trajectory.[67]

Orion (officially Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or Orion MPCV) is a class of partially reusable space capsules to be used in NASA's human spaceflight programs. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) designed by Lockheed Martin and the European Service Module (ESM) manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space. Capable of supporting a crew of six beyond low Earth orbit, Orion can last up to 21 days undocked and up to six months docked. It is equipped with solar panels, an automated docking system, and glass cockpit interfaces modeled after those used in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A single AJ10 engine provides the spacecraft's primary propulsion, while eight R-4D-11 engines, and six pods of custom reaction control system engines developed by Airbus, provide the spacecraft's secondary propulsion. Although compatible with other launch vehicles, Orion is primarily designed to launch atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with a tower launch escape system.

Orion was originally conceived by Lockheed Martin as a proposal for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to be used in NASA's Constellation program. Lockheed Martin's proposal defeated a competing proposal by Northrop Grumman, and was selected by NASA in 2006 to be the CEV. Originally designed with a service module featuring a new "Orion Main Engine" and a pair of circular solar panels, the spacecraft was to be launched atop the Ares I rocket. Following the cancellation of the Constellation program in 2010, Orion was heavily redesigned for use in NASA's Journey to Mars initiative; later named Moon to Mars. The SLS replaced the Ares I as Orion's primary launch vehicle, and the service module was replaced with a design based on the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle. A development version of Orion's CM was launched in 2014 during Exploration Flight Test-1, while at least four test articles have been produced. As of 2020, three flight-worthy Orion spacecraft are under construction, with an additional one ordered, for use in NASA's Artemis program; the first of these is due to be launched in 2021 on Artemis 1. On November 30, 2020, it was reported that NASA and Lockheed Martin had found a failure with a component in one of the Orion spacecraft's power data units but NASA later clarified that it does not expect the issue to affect the Artemis 1 launch date.

A conceptual advanced Gateway depicting what Gateway could look like in the late 2020s.

The NASA Lunar Gateway is an in-development mini-space station in lunar orbit intended to serve as a solar-powered communication hub, science laboratory, short-term habitation module, and holding area for rovers and other robots.[68] While the project is led by NASA, the Gateway is meant to be developed, serviced, and utilized in collaboration with commercial and international partners: Canada (Canadian Space Agency) (CSA), Europe (European Space Agency) (ESA), and Japan (JAXA).

Phase 1 early Gateway with Power and Propulsion Element (left), Habitation and Logistics Outpost (center foreground), and cargo spacecraft (center background) depicted

The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) started development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during the now canceled Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). The original concept was a robotic, high performance solar electric spacecraft that would retrieve a multi-ton boulder from an asteroid and bring it to lunar orbit for study.[69] When ARM was canceled, the solar electric propulsion was repurposed for the Gateway.[70][71] The PPE will allow access to the entire lunar surface and act as a space tug for visiting craft.[72] It will also serve as the command and communications center of the Gateway.[73][74] The PPE is intended to have a mass of 8-9 tonne and the capability to generate 50 kW[75] of solar electric power for its ion thrusters, which can be supplemented by chemical propulsion.[76]

The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO),[77][78] also called the Minimal Habitation Module (MHM) and formerly known as the Utilization Module,[79] will be built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS).[58][80] A commercial launch vehicle will launch both the PPE and the HALO in early 2024,[81] with the Falcon Heavy equipped with an extended fairing being used as the baseline launch vehicle.[82] The HALO is based on a Cygnus Cargo resupply module[58] to the outside of which radial docking ports, body mounted radiators (BMRs), batteries and communications antennae will be added. The HALO will be a scaled-down habitation module,[83] yet, it will feature a functional pressurized volume providing sufficient command, control and data handling capabilities, energy storage and power distribution, thermal control, communications and tracking capabilities, two axial and up to two radial docking ports, stowage volume, environmental control and life support systems to augment the Orion spacecraft and support a crew of four for at least 30 days.[80]

Gateway as of October 2020 which includes European, Japanese, and Russian modules

In March 2020, Doug Loverro, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations at that time, removed the Gateway construction from the 2024 critical path in order to clear up funding for the HLS. He stated that the PPE could face delays and that moving it back to 2026 would allow for a more refined vehicle. It is also worth noting that the international partners on the Gateway would not have their modules ready until 2026. It was made a requirement that all Human Landing System proposals would be capable of free flight without the Gateway.[84]

On 30 April 2020, a key to NASA's vision for a "sustainable" crew presence on or near the Moon, the Gateway station, was announced to be optional, rather than required, in mission planning. NASA officials originally hoped the Gateway would be in position near the Moon in time for the Artemis 3 mission in 2024, allowing elements of the lunar lander to be assembled, or aggregated, at the Gateway before the arrival of astronauts on an Orion crew capsule. Jim Bridenstine told Spaceflight Now, the Artemis 3 mission will no longer go through the Gateway, but NASA is not backing away from the program.[85]

In late October 2020, NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) finalized their agreement to collaborate in the Gateway program. ESA will provide a habitat module in partnership with JAXA (iHab) and a refueling module (ESPIRIT). In return Europe will have three flight opportunities to launch crew aboard the Orion crew capsule, which they will provide the service module for.[86][87]

On 27 March 2020, SpaceX revealed the Dragon XL resupply spacecraft designed to carry pressurized and unpressurized cargo, experiments and other supplies to NASA's planned Gateway under a NASA Gateway Logistics Services (GLS) contract. The equipment delivered by Dragon XL missions could include sample collection materials, spacesuits and other items astronauts may need on the Gateway and on the surface of the Moon, according to NASA. It will launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle from pad LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon XL is planned to stay at the Gateway for six to 12 months at a time when research payloads inside and outside the cargo vessel could be operated remotely, even when crews are not present. Its payload capacity is expected to be more than 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) to lunar orbit. Unlike previous Dragon variants, the spacecraft will not be reusable and instead focuses on transporting cargo. It will act as the United States' logistics vehicle.[88]

The Human Landing System (HLS) elements of Artemis are several commercial lunar landing systems that are in early design as of 2020. Each design has dissimilar elements intentionally, to give program design redundancy as NASA plans to contract for the build of two commercial options for the HLS role.

On 30 April 2020, in a teleconference, NASA announced US$967 million in design development funding to three companies (Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX) to do initial design of HLS landing systems.[89][90][91] The HLS initial design phase had initially been planned to be a ten-month program, ending on 28 February 2021,[92] NASA had planned to evaluate which contractors would be offered contracts for initial demonstration missions and select firms for development and maturation of their lunar lander system designs in February.[91][90] However, on 27 January 2021, NASA informed each of the HLS contractors that the original ten-month program would be extended two months to now end on or before 30 April 2021.[92]

Companies will continue to develop and refine their concepts until early 2021 when NASA will select up to two landing systems. These vehicles will start a development period culminating in crewed demonstration missions to the lunar surface beginning with the Artemis III mission in 2024.[91][93]

The Integrated Lander Vehicle (ILV) or National Human Landing System (NHLS) is a lunar lander currently in development by the "national team" which is led by Blue Origin. It also includes Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper Laboratory as major partners, as of 2020.

The main selling point of the lander is all the components have been in development in one form or another for some time. The transfer stage is based on the Cygnus spacecraft, the Blue Moon will be used as the descent stage, and the ascent stage will be based on the Orion spacecraft. It will be launched in three parts on both the New Glenn and Vulcan Centaur but could be launched on a single SLS Block 1B.

The vehicle passes all of NASA's requirements but faces risk with its power and propulsion systems which pose a significant risk to the developmental timeline according to NASA.[89][91]

The Starship Human Landing System (Starship HLS) was selected by NASA for potential use for long-duration crewed lunar landings as part of NASA's Artemis program.

The Starship HLS variant is being designed to stay on and around the Moon and as such both the heat shield and air-brakes — integral parts of the main Starship design — are not included in the Starship HLS design. The variant will use high-thrust methalox RCS thrusters located mid-body on Starship HLS during the final "tens of meters" of the terminal lunar descent and landing, and will also include a smaller crew area and a much larger cargo bay, be powered by a solar array located on its nose below the docking port. SpaceX intends to use the same high-thrust RCS thrusters for liftoff from the lunar surface.

If built, the HLS variant would be launched to lunar orbit via the Super Heavy booster and would use orbital refueling to reload propellants into Starship HLS for the lunar transit and lunar landing operations. In the mission concept, a NASA Orion spacecraft would carry a NASA crew to the lander where they would depart and descend to the surface in Starship HLS. After Lunar surface operations, it would ascend using the same Starship HLS vehicle and return the crew to the Orion.

Although not confirmed yet, the vehicle in theory could be refueled in orbit to carry more crews and cargo to the surface. NASA has stated that the biggest risk for this proposal would be the complicated reaction control system as well as main propulsion structure.[49][91]

The Dynetics ALPACA (Autonomous Logistics Platform for All-Moon Cargo Access) Human Landing System is under development by Dynetics and Sierra Nevada Corporation as well as a multitude of subcontractors. It is the smallest of the three proposals. It consists of a single main structure known as ALPACA and would rely on drop tanks to power a majority of the descent. The ALPACA would then ascend back into orbit and rendezvous with Orion or the Gateway.

The ALPACA will also be used to deliver cargo such as base modules and pressurized rovers to the surface. It will launch on a Vulcan Centaur but can also fly on an SLS Block 1B rocket. It would take three Vulcan Centaur launches to assemble the lander in lunar orbit, launching the ALPACA and its two drop tanks separately within a one month window. It would use a slow and efficient trajectory and take three months to reach lunar orbit. It is proposed to refuel directly from a Centaur upper stage.

After the ALPACA module is back in orbit after a surface mission, it can be refitted with fuel tanks and refueled to be reused on more crew flights. The first ALPACA module is intended to be reused autonomously before its second crewed mission. The biggest issue identified according to NASA is its advanced experimental thrust structure and that it could pose threat to the development time.[96][97]

The Boeing Human Landing System proposal was submitted to NASA in early November 2019. The lander consists of a descent and ascent stage with the descent stage being able to deorbit the lander which eliminates the need for a third transfer stage. The lander is designed to be launched on an SLS Block 1B rather than assembled in multiple launches. The lander was further planned to not require the Gateway and could dock with Orion directly in order to allow for a simpler mission profile. Boeing had partnered with Intuitive Machines to provide engines,[98] and also planned to reuse key technologies from their Boeing Starliner.[99] An alternative plan for launching the lander was also detailed: In the event the SLS Block 1B was not ready by 2024, the descent stage could launch on an SLS Block 1 while the ascent stage would be launched by a commercial launcher and assembled in lunar orbit.[100] The Boeing proposal was not selected for design funding by NASA in the April 2020 design funding announcements.[49]

The Vivace Human Landing System was a lunar landing concept by Vivace, an aerospace firm which operates in both Texas and Louisiana. They provide engineering services, ground support equipment, engineering development hardware, and flight hardware for commercial space programs. They submitted a proposal for a HLS system sometime during the submission window. Virtually nothing is known about the vehicle other than that it bears a strong resemblance to NASA's Altair lunar lander from the Constellation program. Only one image of the lander can be found on their website's gallery page Vivace's concept went unselected.[95]

In May 2019, NASA announced 11 contracts worth US$45.5 million in total for studies on transfer vehicles, descent elements, descent element prototypes, refueling element studies and prototypes. One of the requirements is that selected companies will have to contribute at least 20% of the total cost of the project "to reduce costs to taxpayers and encourage early private investments in the lunar economy.[101]

The Advanced Exploration Lander, used as a stand-in while HLS designs are finalized

The Advanced Exploration Lander is a three-stage lander concept used as a design reference for commercial proposals. As proposed, after departure from the Gateway, a transfer module would take the crew to a low lunar orbit and then separate, after which the descent module would handle the rest of the journey to the lunar surface. A crew of up to four could spend up to two weeks on the surface before reboarding the ascent module, which would take them back to the Gateway. Each module would have a mass of approximately 12 to 15 metric tons and would be delivered separately by commercial launchers and integrated at the Gateway. The astronauts would board the lander at the Gateway's near-rectilinear halo orbit that goes between about 1,000 and 70,000 kilometers (620 and 43,500 miles) above the Moon, with the circular low orbit about 100 kilometers (62 miles) high. Both the ascent and transfer modules could be designed to be reused, with the descent module left on the lunar surface.[102]

HERACLES (Human-Enhanced Robotic Architecture and Capability for Lunar Exploration and Science) is a planned ESA-JAXA-CSA space cargo transport system that will feature a robotic lunar lander called European Large Logistic Lander (EL3),[103] which can be configured for different operations such as up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) of payload,[104] sample-returns, or prospecting resources found on the Moon.[105] ESA approved the project in November 2019.[104][106][107] Its first mission is envisioned for launch in the mid to late 2020s aboard an Ariane 64.[108][103]

The EL3 lander will be launched directly to the Moon and will have a landing mass of approximately 1,800 kg (4,000 lb).[109] It will be capable of transporting a Canadian robotic rover to explore, prospect potential resources, and load samples up to 15 kg (33 lb) on the ascent module.[110] The rover would then traverse several kilometers across the Schrödinger basin on the far side of the Moon to explore and collect more samples to load on the next EL3 lander.[111][109] The ascent module would return each time to the Gateway, where it would be captured by the Canadian robotic arm and samples transferred to an Orion spacecraft for transport to Earth with returning astronauts.[112][113]

Artemis Base Camp is the prospective lunar base that would be established at the end of the 2020s. It would consist of three main modules: the Foundational Surface Habitat, the Habitable Mobility Platform, and the Lunar Terrain Vehicle. It would support missions of up to two months and be used to study technologies to use on Mars. The idea would be to build upon this initial base site for decades through both Government and commercial programs. Currently Shackleton Crater is the prime target for this outpost due to its wide variety of lunar geography and water ice. It would fall under the guidelines of the Outer Space Treaty.[117][118]

A render of the Foundational Surface Habitat

Little is known about the surface outpost with most information coming from studies and launch manifests that include its launch. It would be commercially built and possibly commercially launched in 2028 along with the Mobile Habitat.[119] The first habitat is referred to as the Artemis Foundation Habitat formerly the Artemis Surface Asset. Current launch plans show that landing it on the surface would be similar to the HLS. The pressurized habitat would be sent to the Gateway where it would then be attached to a descent stage separately launched from a commercial launcher, it would utilize the same transfer stage used for the HLS. Other designs from 2019 see it being launched from an SLS Block 1B as a single unit and landing directly on the surface. It would then be hooked up to a surface power system launched by a CLPS mission and tested by the Artemis 6 crew. The location of the base would be in the south pole region and most likely be a site visited by prior crewed and robotic missions.[117][5]

NASA Habitable Mobility Platform based on the post Constellation Space Exploration Vehicle.

The Habitable Mobility Platform would be a large pressurized rover used to transport crews across large distances. NASA has developed multiple pressurized rovers including the Space Exploration Vehicle built for the Constellation program which was fabricated and tested. In the 2020 flight manifest it was referred to as the Mobile Habitat suggesting it could fill a similar role to the ILREC Lunar Bus. It would be ready for the crew to use on the surface but could also be autonomously controlled from the Gateway or other locations. Mark Kirasich, who is the acting director of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems, has stated that the current plan is to partner with JAXA and Toyota to develop a closed cabin rover to support crews for up to 14 days. "It's very important to our leadership at the moment to involve JAXA in a major surface element", he said. "... The Japanese, and their auto industry, have a very strong interest in rover-type things. So there was an idea to — even though we have done a lot of work — to let the Japanese lead development of a pressurized rover. So right now, that's the direction we're heading in". In regards to the SEV, Senior Lunar Scientist Clive Neal said "Under Constellation NASA had a sophisticated rover put together, It's pretty sad if it's never going to get to the Moon". but also said that he understands the different scopes of the Constellation Program and Artemis Program and the focus on international collaboration.[117][120][121][122][123]

NASA's baseline Lunar Terrain Vehicle

In February 2020, NASA released two requests for information regarding both a crewed and uncrewed unpressurized surface rover. The LTV would be propositioned by a CLPS vehicle before the Artemis 3 mission. It would be used to transport crews around the exploration site. It would serve a similar function as the Apollo Lunar Rover. In July 2020, NASA will move to formally establish a program office for the rover at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.[117]

NASA's VIPER rover

The VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) is a lunar rover by NASA planned to be delivered to the surface of the Moon as early as December 2022. The rover will be tasked with prospecting for lunar resources in permanently shadowed areas in the lunar south pole region, especially by mapping the distribution and concentration of water ice. The mission builds on a previous NASA rover concept called Resource Prospector, which was cancelled in 2018.[124]

The VIPER rover is part of the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program managed by the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, and it is meant to support the crewed Artemis program.[125] NASA's Ames Research Center is managing the rover project. The hardware for the rover is being designed by the Johnson Space Center, while the instruments are provided by Ames Research Center, Kennedy Space Center, and Honeybee Robotics.[125] The project manager is Daniel Andrews, and the project scientist is Anthony Colaprete, who is implementing the technology developed for the now cancelled Resource Prospector rover. The estimated cost of the mission is US$250 million.

The VIPER rover will operate at a south pole region yet to be determined. VIPER is planned to rove several kilometers, collecting data on different kinds of soil environments affected by light and temperature — those in complete darkness, occasional light, and in constant sunlight. Once it enters a permanently shadowed location, it will operate on battery power alone and will not be able to recharge them until it drives to a sunlit area. Its total operation time will be approximately 100 Earth days.

Both the launcher and the lander to be used will be competitively provided through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contractors. NASA is aiming at landing the rover as early as December 2022.[126]

Five tests of the Orion spacecraft have been conducted prior to the launch of Artemis 1. The first developmental flight was MLAS, was a test flight of the Max Launch Abort System with a boilerplate Orion capsule on 8 July 2009. The second developmental flight was Ares I-X which included an instrumented boilerplate Orion capsule on 28 October 2009. The third, Pad Abort-1,[129] was a successful test of Orion's launch escape system using a boilerplate capsule on 6 May 2010.[129][130] The fourth test of Orion was Exploration Flight Test-1 on 5 December 2014.[131][132] A stripped-down version of the Orion spacecraft was launched atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket, and its reaction control system was tested in two orbits around Earth, reaching an apogee of 5,800 km (3,600 mi) before making a high-energy reentry at 32,000 km/h (20,000 mph).[133][134] The third and final test of Orion prior to Artemis 1 was Ascent Abort-2 on 2 July 2019, which tested an updated launch abort system at maximum aerodynamic load,[135][136][137] using a 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) Orion test article and a custom launch vehicle built by Orbital Sciences.[137][138]

Orion development test flights

Mission	Patch	Launch	Crew	Launch vehicle	Outcome	Duration
MLAS		8 July 2009, 10:26 UTC Wallops Flight Facility	N/A	MLAS	Success	57 seconds
Ares I-X		28 October 2009 15:30 UTC Kennedy, LC-39B	N/A	Ares I-X	Success	≈6 minutes
Pad Abort-1	https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orion_Pad_Abort_1.png	6 May 2010 White Sands LC-32E	N/A	Orion Launch Abort System (LAS)	Success	95 seconds
Exploration Flight Test-1	https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Exploration_Flight_Test-1_insignia.png	5 December 2014, 12:05 UTC Cape Canaveral SLC-37	N/A	Delta IV Heavy (Delta 369)	Success	4 hours 24 minutes
Ascent Abort-2	https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ascent_Abort-2.png	2 July 2019, 11:00 UTC Cape Canaveral SLC-46	N/A	Orion Abort Test Booster	Success	3 minutes 13 seconds

As of December 2020, all crewed Artemis missions will be launched on the Space Launch System from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B. Current plans call for some supporting hardware to be launched on other vehicles and from other launch pads.

Mission	Patch	Launch date	Crew	Launch vehicle	Duration
Artemis I		November 2021[139]	N/A	SLS Block 1 Crew	≈25 days
Artemis II		August 2023[140]	TBA	SLS Block 1 Crew	≈10 days
Artemis III		October 2024	TBA	SLS Block 1 Crew	≈30 days

A proposal curated by William H. Gerstenmaier before his 10 July 2019 reassignment [141] suggested four launches of the SLS Block 1B launch vehicle with crewed Orion spacecraft and logistical modules to the Gateway between 2024 and 2028.[142][143] The crewed Artemis IV through IX would launch yearly between 2025 and 2030,[65] testing in situ resource utilization and nuclear power on the lunar surface with a partially reusable lander. Artemis VII would deliver in 2028 a crew of four astronauts to a Surface lunar outpost known as the Foundation Habitat along with the Mobile Habitat.[65] The Foundation Habitat would be launched back to back with the Mobile Habitat by an undetermined super heavy launcher[65] and would be used for extended crewed lunar surface missions.[65][144][145] Prior to each crewed Artemis mission, various payloads to the Gateway, such as refueling depots and expendable elements of the lunar lander, would be deployed by commercial launch vehicles.[143][145] The most updated manifest simply includes missions suggested in NASA's timelines that have not been designed or funded from Artemis IV-IX.[146][65][119]