Lunar Operation
From a very young age, within immense darkness about celestial balls of light and warmth, I yearned for an established place in the universe. Just as man before me I was bound determined for settlement and expansion, not only within my determinable mind but embarking upon my dreams. I believe in my heart that these realities are attainable through a stoic mind and a servant's demeanor as humanity serves with the very tenets that made it the mighty answerer of the will of God.
- Michael David Simmons
FUTURE OPERATIONS AND MISSIONS
ARTEMIS PROGRAM
The Artemis program is a robotic and human Moon exploration program led by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with six major partner agencies— the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Israel Space Agency (ISA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The Artemis program is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The main parts of the program are the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft, the Lunar Gateway space station, and the commercial Human Landing Systems. The program’s long-term goal is to establish a permanent base on the Moon to facilitate the feasibility of human missions to Mars.
NASA’s Artemis Base Camp on the Moon will need light, water, and elevation. Scientists and engineers are helping NASA determine the precise location of the Artemis Base Camp concept.
NASA released a report on policy matters in upcoming Moon missions. More than 20 missions are planned to the Moon between now and 2026, with participants including NASA, international agencies, and industry. Half of these missions are headed to the Moon’s South Pole, and many are targeting the same handful of craters and other features of interest.
NASA provided an update to astronaut Moon lander plans under Artemis. Under this new approach, NASA is asking American companies to propose lander concepts capable of ferrying astronauts between lunar orbit and the lunar surface for missions beyond Artemis III.
CONDUCTED OPERATIONS
The United States of America has performed several Lunar Operations, both crewed and uncrewed. The most famous of these operations was the Apollo program, carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which succeeded in landing the first humans on the Moon from 1968 to 1972. There were six crewed U.S. landings between 1969 and 1972, with the last departing the lunar surface in December 1972. The United States is the only country to have successfully conducted crewed missions to the Moon. Apollo 8 was the first crewed mission to enter orbit in December 1968, and it was followed by Apollo 10 in May 1969.
The Lunar Operations Command, or “LOS” for short, is the United States’ primary base of operations for its lunar exploration program. Located in Houston, Texas, LOS is responsible for planning and executing all aspects of American lunar missions, from launch to landing and everything in between In addition to these crewed missions, there have been numerous uncrewed landings.
