Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Artemis

From left: replicas of the Blue Origin lander, Astrolab rover, Lunar Outpost rover and the Firely orbiter. 

NASA Unveils New Details About the Future Moon Base and the Missions Laying the Groundwork to Build It

The first three missions are targeted to launch this year. They’ll involve lunar landers developed by several aerospace companies, including Blue Origin, and deliver scientific instruments and a rover

A crescent Earth floats beyond the moon in a gorgeous role reversal captured during the Artemis 2 mission. Photo ID ART002-E-21106

NASA Just Uploaded More Than 12,000 Stunning Photos From the Artemis 2 Mission. Here Are a Few of Our Favorites

Although the mission’s four astronauts sent a few photos to Earth while in space, most needed to be delivered via physical memory cards once they returned to the planet

Left: Experimental setup of some chickpeas growing in artificial lunar dirt. Right: A chickpea root covered in the simulated moon soil, which is sharp and glass-like. 

Hummus Made From Moon-Grown Chickpeas Might Be on the Menu for Future Lunar Residents

Researchers successfully grew and harvested chickpeas in simulated moon dirt—with a little help from worm poop and a beneficial fungus. However, they’re still testing whether the legumes are safe to eat

On Thursday, Artemis 2 astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen gave their first press conference since splashing down. Here, Hansen holds Rise, the crew’s mascot and zero-gravity indicator, which visually demonstrated when they had entered space.

After Rounding the Moon, Artemis 2 Astronauts Reflect on the Magnitude of the Experience: ‘We as Countries and as Humans Did This’

In their first press conference since returning from space, the four-person crew described feeling small but united with people on Earth and said the mission was an achievement by all of humanity

Artemis 2's Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

Artemis 2 Astronauts Successfully Return to Earth After Completing a Historic Mission Around the Moon

The crewmembers splashed down Friday after breaking a space-faring record and viewing lunar features never seen by human eyes during their ten-day trip. It marks the first time anyone has left Earth’s orbit in more than 50 years

From the perspective of the Orion spacecraft, seen at left, the moon eclipsed the sun on April 6.

What Lies Beyond Artemis 2? These Other Missions Are Setting Their Sights on the Moon This Year—and on a Future With Humans in Space

As the historic lunar flyby comes to a close, space companies and nations around the world are also shooting for the moon. Upcoming landings aim to change the landscape of space exploration

The Artemis 2 crew reported an issue with the toilet shortly after takeoff.

Artemis Astronauts Overcome Toilet Trouble and Officially Head Toward the Moon

Houston, we have a potty problem

Onlookers capture photos and videos as the Space Launch System rocket carrying the Artemis 2 crew’s Orion spacecraft Integrity lifts off at 6:35 p.m. Eastern time on April 1.

Spectators Flocked to the Artemis 2 Launch to Witness History Being Made. One Awed Viewer Called It ‘the Best Thing Ever’

Wednesday evening, a human mission to the moon lifted off for the first time in more than 50 years. These 13 photographs capture what it was like to experience the moment

Artemis 2 will take four astronauts around the moon.

NASA’s Artemis 2 Mission Launches, Sending Humans Toward the Moon for the First Time in More Than 50 Years

Four astronauts have begun a ten-day mission in which they’ll loop around the moon, laying the groundwork to put humans on the lunar surface as early as 2028

During a training exercise in Houston in January 2025, the Artemis 2 crew practiced configuring the Orion spacecraft for orbit and its return to Earth.

The Revolution in Moon Exploration

It’s Almost ‘All Systems Go’ for Artemis 2 to Take the Next Giant Leap Toward Stepping on the Moon Again

Scheduled to launch this week, NASA’s Artemis 2 is part of the bold 21st-century vision for returning astronauts to the lunar surface

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other officials announced major changes to the Artemis program.

Why NASA’s Artemis 3 Mission Isn’t Sending Astronauts to the Moon Anymore

The mission’s goals have changed, and Artemis 4 will be the first lunar landing attempt. Four missions are tentatively scheduled within the next three years

Blue Ghost captured its first lunar sunrise, marking the beginning of its operations.

See the Striking New Images From the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, Now the Second Private Spacecraft to Touch Down on the Moon

Firefly Aerospace’s lander reached lunar soil early Sunday morning, after a 2.8-million-mile journey lasting 45 days

The Schrödinger impact crater near the lunar south pole features two long canyons close by: Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck.

Two of the Moon’s Grand Canyons Were Formed in Just Ten Violent Minutes, New Study Suggests

Scientists say Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck—dramatic trenches near the lunar south pole—were carved in a blast that unleashed 130 times the amount of energy in Earth’s global nuclear weapons inventory

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on January 15, carrying two lunar landers built independently by private companies Firefly Aerospace and Ispace.

Two Private Landers Launch on a SpaceX Rocket, Aiming to Touch Down on the Moon

Built by Firefly Aerospace and Ispace, the pair of spacecraft will land separately in the moon’s northern latitudes, conduct science experiments and test new technology

The Orion spacecraft during the fifth day of the Artemis 1 mission on Nov 20, 2022

NASA Pushes Back America’s Return to the Moon to 2027, With the Next Artemis Program Flight Slated for 2026

The space agency’s decision comes after an investigation into the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield, which suffered damage during the Artemis 1 test mission in 2022

The Super Heavy booster returning to the launch tower.

SpaceX Launches Starship Mega-Rocket and Catches Its Booster in Midair on First Try

The success is a giant leap toward the company’s goal to take humans and cargo all the way to Mars on the world’s biggest and most powerful launch vehicle

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in Fly Me to the Moon, a new movie directed by Greg Berlanti

Based on a True Story

How ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Pokes Fun at Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories

The new Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum film presents an alternative history in which government officials prepared to fake the moon landing before NASA pulled off the feat for real

The U.S. Navy works to recover the Orion spacecraft following its 2022 test flight to the moon.

NASA’s Orion Capsule Heat Shield Wore Away in More Than 100 Places During 2022 Test Flight, Posing ‘Significant Risks’

A new report highlights safety issues that NASA must address before using the spacecraft to send astronauts to the moon, and the agency is already working on fixing the problems

An artist's concept of Intuitive Machines' Moon RACER LTV

See NASA’s Initial Moon Buggy Concepts, Expected on the Moon by 2030

Three companies are competing to design NASA’s lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) for the agency’s Artemis campaign

From left to right: Artemis 2 astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman.

NASA Delays Artemis 2, Artemis 3 Moon Missions for Safety Reasons

Artemis 2 has been pushed from later this year to no earlier than September 2025, and the Artemis 3 moon landing will not occur before September 2026

Page 1 of 2