Artemis Program
The NASA announced that it will start accepting applications for the Artemis mission to the moon from March 2nd to March 31st of 2020.
- What is the Artemis Program?
The Artemis program is an upcoming crewed mission to moon. It is a collaborative project of NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The preparations for the mission started in 2017 and is expected to be launched in 2024.
- Is its crew to be all-women?
The Artemis program is to carry a mixed crew. It seeks to land the first woman on the moon and also the next man. The mission will use 2 types of space suits: xEMU (for use on the lunar surface) and the OCSS (for use in the Orion spacecraft during the launch and re-entry times).
- Is the mission to land on the lunar South Pole or North Pole?
The Artemis mission plans to land on the South Pole of the moon. The lunar South Pole is of significance because of the presence of the water ice in its permanently shadowed spots. The supporting program VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) will be studying the water ice.
