Blue Origin launches a NASA spacecraft to Mars as space race heats up

"Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2026 - including the first woman and the next man. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the moon and Mars."

"The uncrewed flight, which successfully launched in November last year, travelled more than 1.4 million miles on a path around the moon and back to Earth. It splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in December 2022, 25-and-a-half days after launch. Orion stayed in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station, while it also returned home faster and hotter than ever before."

"It will now be followed by Artemis II, a manned mission which is scheduled for launch next year. The crew will fly around the moon and back to prepare for Artemis III, which NASA is targeting as the mission to return humans to the lunar surface. Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis programme."

Artemis is named for the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the moon. The program aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2026, including the first woman and the next man. Artemis 1 was an uncrewed test that launched in November, traveled more than 1.4 million miles around the moon, and splashed down in the Pacific after 25.5 days. Orion remained in space longer than any undocked crewed ship and reentered faster and hotter than previous vehicles. Artemis II will be crewed and perform a lunar flyby to prepare Artemis III and establish a sustainable lunar presence by 2028. The program aims to enable scientific discovery, technology demonstration, and the foundation for a lunar economy.

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