Artemis II and beyond – humanity’s next giant leap

As Artemis II prepares for a potential 2026 launch, NASA is setting the stage for a new era of space exploration – one that could reshape humanity’s future beyond Earth.

When NASA announced on Tuesday that it’s taking a ten-day crewed mission around the moon, potentially for February 2026, a historical sense of significance was in the air.

"We together have a front row seat to history," proclaimed Lakeisha Hawkins, NASA's acting deputy associate administrator.

That “front seat” quote, however, signifies the beginning of a long-term, sustainable space presence.

When positioning the mission as such an illustrious showcase, we’re left wondering how sizable this venture could be.

NASA’s Artemis missions so far

In fact, it’ll be Artemis III, not Artemis II, that will make a lunar landing, and that’s touted for mid-2027, depending on Spacecraft X being up to scratch.

And prior to that, in November 2022, Artemis I had an uncrewed moon-orbiting mission that confirmed NASA’s succession to the previous Apollo program 50 years prior.

Then there’s Artemis IV, a space station manned with four astronauts that will orbit the moon and conceivably be a launchpad for future Mars missions.

Beyond 2030, there are also plans for an Artemis base camp, a permanent space base intended to understand how humans can live and work in deep space.

All in all, big stepping stones to future missions to Mars.

Potential challenges

The Artemis program depends heavily on unproven technology for deep-space conditions. Factor in also that the Orion capsule tasked with transporting the astronauts will have to fix its heat shield after suffering troubles during the Artemis I mission, where it experienced abrupt erosion.

Also, there’s the finance. The entire Artemis program is expected to cost around $93 billion by the end of 2025. Congress seems keen, but that’s as it stands, as priorities can change depending on the political will.

Above all, there’s the issue of potential delays. NASA is famed for its “no earlier than” disclaimers on its space announcements.

This Artemis II mission is sending astronauts further into space than they’ve ever been, as Artemis II flight director Jeff Radigan explained:

They're going at least 5,000 nautical miles (9,200 km) past the Moon, which is much higher than previous missions have gone.

Don’t be surprised if technical delays of some sort push Artemis II and subsequent missions into the late 2020s–early 2030s.

The next space race?

Compared to the Apollo era, for example, the moon race now includes other nations like China and India, as well as the US and Russia.

China is rapidly closing in on its lunar ambitions, aiming for a crewed landing by 2030. Meanwhile, India is planning its first crewed mission in low Earth orbit for early 2027, and while not a moon mission per se, it may lay the groundwork for potential Mars missions.

There’s also the private sector, as companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin vie for contracts and dominance.

With all of this going on, it’s not clear how competitive the race will be, but with one eye on Mars, it feels like a big step for humanity.

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