What Is Artemis I? Breaking Down the Major Moon Mission NASA Just Launched - CNET

On Wednesday greeting during the quiescent hours of twilight, a 32-story rocket blasted into abstraction from a launchpad astatine NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In a burst of flames and smoke, the citrus-colored vas brightened the acheronian entity with a synthetic sunset arsenic it propelled a small achromatic spacecraft toward nary different than Earth's glowing companion, the moon.

At last, the Artemis I lunar ngo has lifted off.

Initially, Artemis I's motorboat had been planned for Aug. 29, but an motor contented forced the attempt to beryllium scrubbed -- effort No. 2 connected Sept. 2 was besides a no-go, but fortunate No. 3 appears to beryllium a tremendous success. With abstraction missions, however, the aboriginal is ne'er truly rather certain, and liftoff truly was lone the opening of Artemis I's journey. Nonetheless, aft years of delays and wads of other money, Artemis I's starry excursion has begun, and the motorboat was a show for the ages.

Thousands astatine Kennedy Space Center watched Artemis I deed the sky.

Keegan Barber/NASA

Though the conveyance that was commissioned for this endeavor -- formally named the Space Launch System and besides renowned arsenic the astir almighty rocket successful the satellite -- didn't usher astronauts to the moon's aboveground this clip around, Artemis I is benignant of NASA's aureate ticket to caller adventures successful outer space. 

Showing disconnected the superb orangish hue of its insulated spray-on coating, Artemis I's SLS helped transportation instruments to lunar orbit that'll soon stitchery captious accusation for the Artemis II mission, which volition bring humans along, to orbit the lunar sphere. Then, Artemis II volition pave the mode for Artemis III, a 2025 mission that may, astatine last, adhd much footwear prints to the powdery grey soil, alongside those imprinted decades agone by Apollo astronauts. And that's conscionable an overview of the archetypal 3 steps of NASA's Artemis odyssey.

Eventually, this programme is poised to fto NASA execute thrilling feats similar landing the archetypal pistillate and the archetypal idiosyncratic of colour connected the moon, gathering a lunar basal camp, constructing a spaceship successful lunar orbit, connecting an off-world internet, and adjacent laying the groundwork for a aboriginal successful which humankind settles Mars.

"When we deliberation astir Artemis, we absorption a batch connected the moon," Reid Wiseman, main astronaut astatine NASA's Johnson Space Center, said successful an Aug. 5 property conference. "But I conscionable privation everybody successful the country and everybody watching to retrieve our sights are not acceptable connected the moon. Our sights are acceptable intelligibly connected Mars."

Earth's satellite is seen rising down the SLS rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard.

Aubrey Gemignani/NASA

All things considered, Artemis I is specified a large woody due to the fact that the occurrence of this ngo volition dictate the timeline for NASA's sci-fi satellite objectives. 

You tin deliberation of Artemis I arsenic an highly high-stakes precursor to everything that comes adjacent for American lunar exploration, founded connected everything that came before. 

Before launching into space, the SLS adjacent got situated for its large time connected launchpad 39B, poetically lasting wherever NASA's Saturn V erstwhile stood for Apollo 10. Not lone did Apollo 10 christen 39B, but it besides illuminated the mode for Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong's and Buzz Aldrin's historical landing connected the glowing orb (with Michael Collins orbiting patiently successful the Command Module). 

"To each of america that regard up astatine the moon, dreaming of the time humankind returns to the lunar surface," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a property conference, "folks, we're present -- we are going back. And our travel begins with Artemis I."

Now let's speech astir immoderate Artemis I specifics.

Artemis I 101

There are 2 large components to the Artemis I abstraction explorer: an apricot-colored SLS rocket and a conical, achromatic spacecraft dubbed Orion. Prior to launch, Orion topped the SLS similar the spire of a castle tower.

And wrong Orion, there's a batch going on. It's fundamentally the compartment car of Artemis I. 

Inside this uncannily retro craft, NASA strapped successful Amazon Alexa, TV quality Shaun the Sheep, a fewer Girl Scout abstraction subject badges and different popular civilization icons. But connected the different hand, the bureau filled it with immoderate hard-core subject equipment, specified arsenic satellites, radiation detectors, quality stand-ins, freeze-dried yeast for biology experiments and miscellaneous information postulation tools. 

Ultimately, the extremity was for the superpowerful SLS to propel Orion toward lunar orbit. So far, everything seems to beryllium going swell. Orion is connected its way.

NASA's depiction of the Orion spacecraft leaving Earth's vicinity and heading to lunar orbit.

NASA

And during its trip, each the amusive bric-a-brac volition beryllium baptized into the extraterrestrial club, subject mechanisms volition item what the trajectory looks and feels like, and the humanlike mannequins volition respond to unsafe aspects of abstraction travel, similar radiation absorption, for appraisal connected the ground. Once complete, Orion is expected to safely splash down disconnected the seashore of San Diego. 

If you're into the technicalities, a elaborate look astatine the SLS motorboat series tin beryllium recovered here.

"Orion volition task farther than immoderate spacecraft built for humans has ever flown," Nelson said. "And aft its agelong formation test, Orion volition travel location faster and hotter than immoderate spacecraft has before. It's going to deed the Earth's ambiance astatine 32 times the velocity of sound."

This spot mightiness beryllium particularly important if, arsenic the bureau hopes, the SLS and Orion plan supports aboriginal missions written to 1 time entree Mars, and possibly adjacent heavy space. According to Nelson, if Orion were to instrumentality to Earth from a Martian expedition, it mightiness scope velocities astir 36 times the velocity of sound. 

Lucky for america spacegazers (yes, I meant to not accidental stargazers), Orion besides has cameras installed truthful we tin ticker what's happening arsenic it pursues its expedition. "We're going to effort and drawback the Earthrise," Rick LaBrode, pb formation manager astatine Johnson Space Center, said excitedly successful a property conference. "That's a spectacular image." 

Earthrise, taken during Apollo 8, the archetypal crewed voyage to the moon's environs.

Bill Anders/NASA

Even arsenic Orion began ascending from our planet, NASA started to broadcast a livestream of its perspective. "We mean to bring each and each 1 of you on passim the people of the mission," Mike Sarafin, Artemis ngo manager, said during the property conference. "We volition stock imagery some from the crushed arsenic good arsenic the motorboat conveyance connected the spacecraft throughout."

A screenshot of the Orion livestream broadcast astatine 12:51 p.m. ET connected Nov. 16.

NASA

OK, I'm connected the borderline of my seat. But what's next?

Considering however overmuch I constitute astir the moon, I've often wondered what might've happened if NASA continued its Apollo programme – uninhibited by Cold War tensions and budget-cut setbacks. 

Could there've been an planetary abstraction presumption orbiting the moon? Might determination person been lunar settlements? Or possibly astronauts could've ridden from crater to crater successful ATVs? Well, successful a way, we mightiness beryllium astir to find out. Artemis is benignant of picking up wherever its Greek-namesake twin, Apollo, near off. (Apollo was a god, Artemis a goddess.) "This is present the Artemis generation," Nelson said.

I mean, assuming everything goes to program with each stages of Artemis, present are immoderate things to look guardant to successful the coming decennary oregon so. (OK, but to reiterate, a lot has to spell to program for immoderate of this to happen.)

The Lunar Gateway
With the assistance of international abstraction agencies from astatine slightest 18 different countries, NASA signed the Artemis Accords, which fundamentally underscore principles required for peaceful abstraction cooperation. Part of this statement gave emergence to an thought called the Lunar Gateway. The Lunar Gateway is simply a planned tiny abstraction presumption that'll beryllium successful lunar orbit and service arsenic a solar-powered connection hub, subject laboratory, habitation module for astronauts, holding halfway for rovers oregon robots and different specified things. It's similar a satellite ISS.

A full-view rendering of the Lunar Gateway, which includes elements from planetary partners. Built with commercialized and planetary partners, the Gateway volition beryllium captious to sustainable lunar exploration and volition service arsenic a exemplary for aboriginal missions to Mars, NASA says.

Alberto Bertolin/NASA

Already, successful fact, NASA has sent a microwave oven-size outer named Capstone to lunar orbit to tease retired applicable accusation for the Gateway.

"Gateway's capabilities for supporting sustained exploration and probe successful heavy abstraction see docking ports for a assortment of visiting spacecraft, abstraction for unit to unrecorded and work, and on-board subject investigations to survey heliophysics, quality health, and beingness sciences, among different areas," NASA said.

The LunaNet
We've besides got the imaginable of the LunaNet, which'll service the navigation, networking and different connection responsibilities of Artemis astronauts. "Astronaut information and wellbeing are cardinal concerns of the Artemis missions," NASA's hunt and rescue bureau ngo manager for nationalist affairs, Cody Kelly, said successful a statement. "Using LunaNet's navigation services, LunaSAR volition supply determination information to NASA distress beacons should contingencies arise." 

Here's what it mightiness look similar erstwhile astronauts person entree to the LunaNet.

NASA

LTVs
Lunar terrain vehicles, oregon LTVs, are besides planned for the future. These benignant of roofless Jeep-like rovers volition transport Artemis astronauts astir the lunar South Pole erstwhile they get there. This invention is inactive precise overmuch successful advancement -- understandably.

"Most radical bash a batch of probe earlier buying a car," Nathan Howard, task manager for the LTV astatine NASA's Johnson Space Center, said successful a statement. "We're doing extended probe for a modern abstraction conveyance that volition beryllium provided by industry. As we program for semipermanent exploration of the Moon, the LTV won't beryllium your grandfather's Moon Buggy utilized during the Apollo missions."

A NASA rendering of what the LTVs could look similar connected the satellite 1 day.

NASA

Moon Base Camp
Perhaps the astir exhilarating portion of each of this is that if Artemis works out, we'll person a legitimate basal campy connected the moon. 

An illustration of NASA astronauts astatine the lunar South Pole.

NASA

"To springiness astronauts a spot to unrecorded and enactment connected the Moon, the agency's Artemis Base Camp conception includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover and adjacent a mobile home," NASA said. "Early missions volition see abbreviated aboveground stays, but arsenic the basal campy evolves, the extremity is to let unit to enactment astatine the lunar aboveground for up to 2 months astatine a time."

Two months astatine a time, the bureau said. It's simply surreal to see that the adjacent galore years could beryllium filled with the level of lunar exploration that NASA believes the Artemis programme tin achieve. It mightiness beryllium wherefore the punchy motto of these missions inspires goose bumps. 

"We are going." Well, now, I conjecture it's much close to accidental "We're connected our way."

During the acheronian hours aboriginal Wednesday morning, NASA's Artemis I rocket touched the sky, astatine last.

NASA/Bill Ingalls