Well, you read it right! NASA is all set to launch an uncrewed voyage mission, Artemis-1, to the Moon in the coming few months making it a breakthrough since its last Lunar Lander in 1972.

Quite surprisingly, the last successful moon mission was Apollo 17 launched in 1972 and humans haven't stepped on the Moon ever since. This is a fascinating announcement for the researchers as well as for all the space enthusiasts around the globe.

Artemis-1 which was earlier known as the Exploration Mission-1 was scheduled to be launched in November 2021 but it got pushed back on its timeline to the next year. The next optimum time for the launch is presumed to be in March and April lest they fail to carry it out in February ( let's hope for the best! ).

This three-week-long mission is the first-ever longest uncrewed mission in the history of mankind. Through this, NASA is looking forward to testing some of its cutting-edge space vehicles - the Orion Spacecraft ( a 322 feet crew capsule ) and Space Launch System ( SLS ) is the most powerful rocket in the world. This marks the beginning of man's return to the Moon's surface and traversing it through an advanced and new lens.

Source: nasa.gov

The main objective of the said mission, as disclosed by NASA, is to 'assure a safe crew module entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery.'

Artemis-1 will go beyond the surface of the Moon and explore the natural satellite in its robust form. It'll send data back to the Earth that will form the basis for further space studies and future missions to the Moon. The communication will be done through the Deep Space Network. A series of tests are currently being conducted at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Along with the Orion, NASA is also sending 13 smaller satellites in SLS to carry out their investigations. The mission will also pave the way for future flights to Mars and other nearby galactic stations by giving a deeper insight to the scientists and astronomers about the current happenings.

In the wake of such a large-scale project, NASA has also scheduled a dry run ahead of the launch date in early January. This will significantly brief the engineers about the reliability of the four RS-25 engines that produce 8.8M pounds of thrust. The Orion is successfully set atop the SLS on 21st October 2021.

You must be wondering as to why the name has got a serial number associated with it. The most reasonable assumption to this is that the Artemis is a whole expedition to grasp the moon like never before.

Post Artemis-1, NASA is preparing to launch Artemis-2. Driven by the successes of Artemis-1 and Artemis-2, the space agency is pursuing to launch Artemis-3 wherein they're planning to send the first humans of color to the moon including the first woman to ever step on the lunar surface. They're supposed to carry out the research and investigations giving a new spectrum to future innovations.

Along with the crew members, the Human Landing System ( HLS ) will also carry around 100 kg of scientific tools and equipment and is planning to return with the additional 35 kg of samples from the moon.

Excitingly enough the Artemis isn't limited to lunar exploration, it reaches far and beyond this. With the fruitful pursuance of this program, engineers at NASA are looking forward to their calling for Mars and sending astronauts on its surface.

Currently, NASA's Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter ( integral parts of the agency's Mars mission ) are analyzing and sending vital information to the Earth regularly. Aggregating and studying the results of both the programs ( the Artemis and Perseverance ) will give the engineers a surefire heads-up to send humans on Mars.

The mission marks the beginning of a new era and opens up the possibilities for deep space exploration. Not only this but it also means an increase in the odds of finding a new home shortly, promoting the space travel industry, widening the scope of research, and might even unravel some unanswered mysteries of the universe.

The space agency has offered us all something to look forward to in the upcoming years and witness this mega-project created by humans to set a foot back on the moon and beyond. We're enthralled, are you?