- [Narrator] NASA has been gearing up
to return astronauts to the moon
for the first time in more than half a century.
- [Astronaut] Hey, they've got the flag up now,
and you can see the
stars and stripes. (microphone feedback)
- [Narrator] As soon as the end of August,
the Space Agency plans to conduct the first launch
of the massive rocket system
for its moon exploration program, Artemis.
The first mission, Artemis I, will send a spacecraft
on an uncrewed trip around the moon.
- So Artimis I is a test run.
It's a test run for the rocket system,
for the the spacecraft
for the ground systems, the ground infrastructure.
- [Narrator] It will be a critical step
towards landing people on the moon by 2025.
But over the last few years,
NASA and its partners have experienced a range
of technical, legal, and cost-related delays.
- There's a lot of elements that you have
to get right,
that NASA and its partners have
to get right
to sort of make all that technical choreography work.
- [Narrator] So how does NASA plan
to achieve this historic mission
and how could Artemis I pave the way
for future space exploration
beyond the lunar surface?
(camera shuttering)
There are several key space vehicles involved
in NASA's effort to get humans back on the moon.
- So there's the SLS,
that's the kind of rocket system
that starts the journey,
and on top of that is Orion which separates
from the rocket and then begins its journey to lunar orbit.
- [Narrator] There will also be
a separate lunar Lander designed
to take astronauts from lunar orbit down
to the moon surface.
That lander designed by SpaceX is expected
to be used on a future Artemis launch currently planned
for 2025.
The first mission, Artemis I, will send the crew capsule
into orbit around the moon for about six weeks,
allowing NASA to test a series
of critical systems like life support
before it puts people on board.
Artemis II will follow a similar path,
but with astronauts on board.
And Artemis III will carry people to the moon surface.
NASA says this mission will be historic
for other reasons as well.
- It's opening the door (camera shuttering)
for the first woman and the first person of color
to set foot on the moon.
- [Narrator] Artemis I will serve
as a pathfinding mission laying a foundation
for future trips to the moon.
It will also be the first test flight
of NASA's new space launch system, Megarocket,
and the Orion crew capsule.
Another key objective will be testing the
spacecraft's heat shield. (bell dinging)
It's meant to protect the Orion capsule
from the extreme temperatures
it will encounter entering Earth's atmosphere at Mach 32,
which is around 24,500 miles per hour.
- The idea is to run all the hardware, all the software
through its paces and show
that the rockets can fire this spacecraft out
of the gravitational pull of earth,
and the spacecraft can separate and travel
to the moon and get back to this planet safely.
- [Narrator] NASA will also be monitoring
Orion's navigation systems
and its resilience when traveling
through high radiation areas.
Three mannequins on board will be fitted with sensors
to determine how astronauts will fare on the flight.
Another test will be recovering the spacecraft
after it splashes down in the ocean.
Meanwhile, the vehicles that NASA plans to use
for Artemis I have faced delays.
The mission was originally scheduled
to take off in 2021.
- The contractors that are building the different elements
of the SLS rocket system and Orion have run
into technical challenges and have had
to work those out.
They've faced supply chain problems.
And some of these rockets,
NASA has not attempted to have built and launch
in quite a long time.
So part of the challenge was like simply getting back up
to speed on creating again,
really big, really powerful rockets.
- [Narrator] The first Artemis rocket
and the broader Artemis program are expected to be costly.
Last November, NASA's inspector general forecasted
the agency would spend $93 billion
over more than a dozen years on Artemis.
With key costs for the first launch expected
to be around 4.1 billion.
NASA leaders have said the agency is pushing
to reduce costs for Artemis and streamline operations.
- Some of the contractors
that are building the vehicles have said part
of the cost question is because we've been
in this development mode
building these for the first time.
And when we build future rockets and spacecraft
the cost should come down because we're simply
in production mode and not in this developmental stage
of creating the vehicles for the first time.
- [Narrator] There are more long-term ambitions
for NASA's Artemis programs.
- Astronauts will live and work
in deep space and will develop the science and technology
to send the first humans to Mars.
- [Narrator] The Space Agency has plans
to build Gateway,
a multipurpose outpost orbiting the moon.
It has also discussed developing a base camp
on the lunar surface.
More broadly,
NASA says it's return to the moon efforts will help prepare
for future exploration of Mars.
- Artemis now has a vision of sending astronauts back
to the moon and creating sort
of a sustained infrastructure.
You know, pursuing science, pursuing exploration.
And the idea is that NASA will build all
of that infrastructure and know-how hardware
to sort of make that happen and use that knowledge base
to pursue the next frontier,
which is some sort of trip to Mars.
- [Narrator] As the Artemis I launch date nears,
NASA is wrapping up several key tests
to ensure all the rocket systems will be ready to go.
- That 2025 timeline for getting people down to the surface
of the moon and back is coming up relatively quickly.
The pressure is on to sort of get to that deadline,
and we'll see if they can make it happen.
(gentle upbeat music)