Artemis program

NASA’s program to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustained human presence there. It combines crewed missions, lunar landers, spacesuits, and plans for surface infrastructure.

Space Launch System: NASA’s heavy-lift launch vehicle designed to send Orion and cargo toward the Moon. It launches the crewed Orion spacecraft on Artemis missions.
Constellation program: NASA’s 2000s program to develop spacecraft and launch systems for returning humans to the Moon. Artemis inherited the goal of lunar return after Constellation was canceled.
Lunar science: The study of the Moon’s composition, history, geology, and environment. Artemis missions are designed to conduct scientific investigations on and around the Moon.
Chang'e program: China’s robotic lunar exploration program, including orbiters, landers, and sample-return missions. It represents a separate national program pursuing lunar exploration through different missions and institutions.
Artemis Accords: A set of principles for civil space exploration and use, first signed by partner countries in 2020. They provide a framework for international partners participating in Artemis-related exploration.
Orion (spacecraft): NASA’s crew spacecraft for missions beyond low Earth orbit. It carries astronauts from Earth orbit to lunar space and back.
Space Launch System development: The design and construction effort that produced NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Its development began under earlier exploration plans and continued into Artemis.
Lunar south pole: The Moon’s southern polar region, where permanently shadowed areas may contain water ice. Planned landing areas could give crews access to polar geology and volatile resources.
Lunar Gateway: A proposed international lunar outpost concept for supporting crewed exploration near the Moon. Artemis’s Gateway is one architectural choice among competing plans for lunar staging.
Commercial Lunar Payload Services: A NASA program that contracts commercial companies to deliver payloads to the lunar surface. It expands commercial participation and supports robotic missions tied to lunar exploration.

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