We are going back to the Moon in 2024, here’s how
The 70s had Apollo, the 2000s had the ISS, what if the 2020s was the opening of a new space chapter. NASA recently launched the Artemis Program, named after the Greek goddess, twin sister of Apollo. The goal? Establishing a functioning Moon Base by 2024.
Why the Moon, you might ask, why not try Mars already? Contrary to what Elon Musk is claiming, we are far from having the technology and the knowledge to safely bring humans to Mars yet. But, we have everything we need to know to settle for the Moon, and building this base will be a training ground and a connecting hub for the next deeper space exploration.
So, what is the Artemis Program? How are we going to settle on the Moon? Will we manage to complete the goal for 2024?
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Artemis Missions.
The new Rocket built from the ashes of previous space programs
A rocket has different stages and several compartments with different needs and technologies. You need to build the spacecraft, transporting the crew or the payload and, the rocket launcher, to lift the spacecraft off the ground.
To reach the Moon, NASA has planned to use the SLS launcher and the Orion spacecraft. Both designed from the leftovers of the Aries I-V launcher and the Altair module, developed during the Constellation Program (the original Moon Base program) before it was canceled in 2010.
The SLS or Space Launch System, is a Super Heavy Rocket, build especially for deep space travel and would be the best rocket developed to this day if Starship, the Super Heavy Rocket of Elon Musk failed to work. But, the SLS still has to go through some tests and has yet to prove itself. So, will it be ready for the Artemis I mission, planned to take off in 2021? That’s unsure.
The Lunar Lander, collaborating with US commercial companies
There’s another crucial element we need to safely land on other celestial bodies. For the Artemis Program, it’s the Lunar Lander.
NASA has always collaborated with external companies to build the best technology possible for its missions. During the Apollo program, it’s Grumman Aerospace Corporation that built the Lunar Module (LM).
In 2019, NASA decided to launch a contest to choose the next builder of the Lunar Lander. In April 2020, they announced their 3 picks; Dynetics’s Human Landing System, Space X’s Starship module, and Blue Origin’s Integrated Lander Vehicle. None of these companies have a functioning, tested, lunar lander at the moment, but NASA is hoping to find at least one operational one in the next few years.
The Mission, the innovative way of reaching the Moon
The mission is divided into 3 parts.
Pre-stage
The first part is called the pre-stage and will consist of sending and placing scientific equipment, rovers, and human-rated systems on the surface of the Moon. To do so, NASA is planning on collaborating with commercial and international partners such as SpaceX, ESA, or the Canadian Space Agency. Every equipment has to be sent before 2024 and NASA has claimed the first uncrewed mission aboard the SLS to launch in November 2021, but it still is subject to change as it has already been pushed back several times since 2017.
Launch and travel to the Moon
The second part, looks a lot like the Apollo missions, consisting of the launch of the spacecraft from the earth and the journey to the Moon.
Landing on the Moon
The third part is where it gets innovative. On the previous Apollo Mission, the Lunar Lander was attached to the initial spacecraft and descended to the Moon, leaving the command module (with Michael Collins) up in orbit, to serve as a communication relay with Earth and to manage the docking procedures.
For the Artemis missions, NASA with the help of other space agencies decided to create a Lunar Space Station orbiting around the Moon permanently, relaying communications with the Earth and being an intermediary step before landing on the Moon. This station is called the Gateway.
On the initial plan, the Gateway was supposed to be effective for 2024. Therefore, the first crewed mission would make a stop at the station where they would change from the Orion spacecraft (from which they arrived) to the Lunar Module, which would have been sent months before, during the pre-stage.
But, recently, NASA announced that the Gateway would not be ready for 2024. So, we’ll have to wait for further information on the new steps of the first crewed mission.
The Gateway, a window towards the future
The Gateway, is the most interesting part of this program as it will allow us not only greater and better communications from the Moon to Earth but also a new launching space for missions to Mars and further.
It will serve 3 main purposes.
First of all, it will be a logistical hub and platform for the Lunar Missions, allowing astronauts to come and go from the surface of the Moon to the Gateway, and from the Gateway to Earth.
Second of all, it will be a lab for deep-space experiments. It might replace the International Space Station (ISS) which is supposed to ‘retire’ in 2024. It will allow a new area of a scientific experiment in a station positioned outside of the Van Allen radiation belt when the ISS was still constrained inside.
Finally, it will be the hub for Deep Space Transport, by becoming, for instance, the intermediary step needed to refuel spacecrafts between Earth and Mars.
Funding, costs, money, the main struggles of a space program
Money is certainly not the funniest part nor the most interesting of this project, but it is the most defining for its success in 2024. If we do know how to colonize the Moon, we still need the money to build the rockets, develop the rovers, design new spacesuits, and more. The Trump administration seems complacent by allowing all budget increase demanded by Nasa but, we’ll have to see if the next administration will pursue the effort. Politics will deeply impact the success of the program.
Conclusion
The Artemis Program might be the closest we have ever get to establishing a Moon Base, but it still seems complicated to achieve for 2024. Nonetheless, because the ISS is reaching its last days, opening a new chapter of space exploration, and thanks to the rising competition with China for the Moon, we might see progress accelerating in the next years.
If you want to know more about the project, here is the official NASA video.
