Artemis I launched back in 2022 as the test bed for the Orion Spacecraft. This mission was the start of preparation for going back to the moon and making a moon base. However, this mission did not have a crew. 

On April 1, 2026, Artemis II — the first crewed mission to the moon since December 19, 1972 — launched into space.  This mission was important because it helped NASA make future missions more comfortable for the crew: Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and CSA Astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist). 

This brave crew took on the mission of testing effects of space along with taking pictures of the moon and showing unseen parts of it to help people better understand the surface. Though many wanted to see Artemis II land on the moon, that was not the goal of this mission. NASA plans to land on the moon in Artemis IV in 2028 with no set month or day. 

Some might ask, why only now after 50 years we go to the moon again? The reason is that during the Apollo missions that were mainly the space race NASA was more focused on in an effort to beat the Russians to the moon, plus a lot of people calling the Apollo missions a waste of time, NASA is going back now because they have better technology and more plans for the moon than before. 

Some of the plans for the moon are to use it as a testbed for future missions, make international and commercial collaboration, build different infrastructure on the moon, and to look for lunar ice that could have many uses. Another thing that makes the moon useful is the fact that it has no atmosphere, which allows the launching of rockets to be way less complicated and use less fuel. 

The Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California on April 10, 2026, allowing NASA to gather the data and everything Orion gained to improve the Artemis III mission and benefit any future missions.