What is the Artemis mission?

• NASA’s Artemis mission is touted as the next generation of lunar exploration, and is named after the twin sister of Apollo from Greek mythology. Artemis is also the goddess of the moon.
• Artemis I is the first of NASA’s deep space exploration systems. It is an uncrewed space mission where the spacecraft will launch on Space Launch System (SLS) — the most powerful rocket in the world
• The SLS rocket has been designed for space missions beyond low-earth orbit and can carry crew or cargo to the moon and beyond. With the Artemis programme, NASA aims to land humans on the moon by 2024, and it also plans to land the first woman and first person of colour on the moon.
• NASA will establish an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and a gateway in lunar orbit to aid exploration by robots and astronauts.

Key Technical Aspects

• Orion Spacecraft- The NASA spacecraft that will carry astronauts from Earth to lunar orbit and back. The Orion spacecraft is going to remain in space without docking to a space station.
• Space Launch System Rocket- The only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and cargo to the Moon on a single mission.
• Artemis Base Camp- To give astronauts a place to live and work on the moon, the Artemis Base Camp concept includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover, and a mobile home.

Future missions in the Artemis programme

• Artemis I  will be an uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft around the Moon.
• Artemis II, the second flight under the programme, will have crew on board and will test Orion’s critical systems with humans onboard. Eventually, the learnings from the Artemis programme will be utilised to send the first astronauts to Mars.
• Artemis III spacecraft will land people on the Moon’s South Pole. NASA plans on using the lunar orbit to gain the necessary experience to extend human exploration of space farther into the solar system.

To read about India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan– https://officerspulse.com/chandrayaan-3-2/

Why in News:

• A fuel leak and then an engine problem during final liftoff preparations led NASA to call off the launch of Artemis.

References:

1. https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/
2. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/leaks-and-possible-crack-threaten-to-delay-nasa-moon-launch/article65826022.ece