Artemis II Mission Set for Return to Moon in 2026

Artemis II Mission Set for Return to Moon in 2026

NASA has confirmed that its upcoming Artemis II mission is slated to return astronauts to the lunar surface as early as April 2026, marking the first manned mission to the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The mission will utilize NASA's powerful Space Launch System and an Orion spacecraft, which successfully launched around the Moon during the previous Artemis I mission. Before Artemis II, two smaller missions, aimed at scouting resources on the lunar south pole, are set to launch later this year.

Lunar Trailblazer, one of these missions, will focus on mapping the lunar surface and searching for signs of water. The satellite is equipped with advanced instruments designed to study the physical state of water on the Moon's rocky terrain.

Principal Investigator Bethany Ehlmann at Caltech-led the operating team behind Lunar Trailblazer, an innovative SmallSats mission aiming to provide a practical operations experience at lower costs.

Compared to other NASA missions, which can cost up to $500 million or more per launch, SIMPLEx or SmallSats programs take only a quarter of that with budgets capped at $55 million. Such low-cost approaches will make experimental instruments and allow researchers to explore tough questions like the origin of our solar system.

This includes analyzing geologic processes like water on rock bodies and understanding where lunar water came from. Was it stored within the Moon's mantle or formed after a collision, created by Solar winds?