Artemis III: Back to the Moon 2026

It has been over 50 years since the last human walked on the Moon. In late 2026, NASA's Artemis III mission plans to change that forever.

👩‍🚀 A Diverse Crew

Artemis III will be a mission of firsts. NASA has committed to landing the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface, marking a new era of inclusive space exploration.

💧 Why the South Pole?

Unlike the Apollo missions that landed near the equator, Artemis III is targeting the Lunar South Pole. This region contains permanently shadowed craters that hold vast reserves of water ice—critical for future Mars missions.

🚀 The Starship HLS

SpaceX's Starship has been selected as the Human Landing System (HLS). The astronauts will travel to lunar orbit in the Orion capsule, then transition to Starship for the final descent to the surface.

🛰️ Gateway Station

By the time the mission launches in 2026, the first modules of the Lunar Gateway (a small space station in lunar orbit) are expected to be in place, serving as a hub for future moon-to-Mars operations.

One small step, once again! 🌕🏹