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1 [1] (February 18, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/govetgi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic~ Informing the legislative debate since 1914 0 Updated February 18, 2026 Artemis: NASA's Program to Return Humans to the Moon Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed 12 American men on the Moon and returned them safely to Earth (see Figure 1). Since then, no human has been farther from Earth than low-Earth orbit, a few hundred miles up; the distance to the Moon is about 240,000 miles. Artemis, named for Apollo's twin sister in ancient Greek mythology, is NASA's program for a return to the Moon by American astronauts-one of them a woman-by 2028. Figure I. Most Recent Human Lunar Mission: Apollo 17 (1972) Source: NASA, https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-as |7-134- 20382/. Note: December 13, 1972, image of Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt on the Moon's surface with the Lunar Module and the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Orion and the Space Launch System Artemis has evolved from plans initiated in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-267). The act established a statutory goal of expand[ing] permanent human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and mandated the development of a crew capsule and a heavy-lift rocket to accomplish that goal. The capsule, now known as Orion, and the rocket, known as the Space Launch System (SLS), have been in development since that time (see Figure 2). Each Orion capsule consists of a crew module with room for four to six astronauts, as well as storage space and a docking port; a service module (contributed by the European Space Agency) to provide power and propulsion; and a launch abort system. The crew module is designed to be reusable and is the only portion intended to return to Earth at the end of a mission. The SLS is an expendable rocket designed to carry Orion into space and set it on an initial trajectory to the Moon. Potentially, the SLS could also be used for other missions involving heavy payloads or requiring very high thrust. It is designed to be upgraded in stages (known as Block 1, Block 1B, and Block 2) by substituting improved versions of its major elements. For Block 1B, NASA is developing the Exploration Upper Stage to replace the Block 1 upper stage, known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. In December 2014, a partially complete Orion was launched on a Delta IV Heavy rocket and orbited Earth twice before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. This uncrewed mission tested the crew module's heat shield and parachutes, as well as other systems. The first launch of Orion on an SLS was in November 2022. During this mission, known as Artemis I, a complete but uncrewed Orion orbited the Moon before returning to Earth. The mission was designed to provide the data for NASA to certify safety for crewed flights. Artemis II, the first crewed test of Orion and the SLS, is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 2026. During this 10-day mission, Orion and its crew of four are to fly around the Moon at an altitude of about 4,000 miles before returning to Earth. The Artemis III mission, planned to launch by 2028, is to include the first human Moon landing since 1972. Achieving that goal would require the development of other systems, such as a lunar lander. Subsequent Artemis missions, with more lunar landings and various additional capabilities, are planned approximately every year starting in 2028. Human Landing System The Orion capsule is not designed to land on the Moon. Instead, for Artemis III and subsequent lunar surface missions, astronauts are to transfer to a separate spacecraft, known as a Human Landing System (HLS), for lunar descent and ascent (see Figure 2). In April 2021, NASA selected SpaceX to provide an HLS as a commercial service starting with Artemis III. In May 2023, NASA awarded a second HLS contract to Blue Origin to provide an alternative to the SpaceX system starting with Artemis V. Both systems are in development. Through committee reports and explanatory statements accompanying appropriations, Congress has repeatedly encouraged NASA to issue contracts to two commercial providers in order to ensure redundancy and bolster competition. Gateway To facilitate Artemis lunar landings and other missions, NASA is developing a modular platform, known as Gateway, to be placed in a permanent orbit around the Moon (see Figure 2). The first two Gateway modules-the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO, a pressurized habitat for astronauts)-are in development, with launch planned no earlier than 2027.