Americans are embarking on a renewed lunar endeavour through NASA's Artemis program, marking the first crewed missions to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

This initiative aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface, leveraging partnerships with private firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin.

The program's flagship, Artemis-II, successfully launched in late 2025, sending four astronauts on a crewed flyby around the Moon to validate deep-space capabilities.

Artemis-II featured NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket propelling the Orion spacecraft, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen into a lunar orbit. 

The mission, lasting about ten days, tested life support systems, navigation, and re-entry procedures under real deep-space conditions. No landing occurred, but the crew captured stunning imagery and conducted scientific observations, paving the way for subsequent landings.

Building on this, Artemis-III is slated for 2026, targeting a historic landing near the lunar south pole, where water ice deposits promise resources for fuel and life support.

SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System will ferry two astronauts from the Lunar Gateway station to the surface, enabling extended surface operations of up to seven days. This mission prioritises diverse crew composition, including the first woman and person of colour on the Moon.

The broader Artemis architecture integrates the Lunar Gateway, a small space station in lunar orbit, serving as a staging post for surface missions and deep-space exploration. Gateway modules, launched incrementally, will support international partners like the European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Private landers, such as Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience, already demonstrated success in 2025 by delivering NASA payloads to diverse lunar sites like Mare Crisium and Mare Frigoris.

These uncrewed precursors gathered critical data on lunar Regolith, water ice, and radiation, informing human risk mitigation. For instance, Blue Ghost analysed rock samples and dust mitigation techniques, while Resilience tested oxygen extraction from Regolith and algae cultivation for sustenance.

Such innovations underscore America's shift to commercially driven exploration, reducing costs through reusable rockets like Falcon 9 and Starship.

Geopolitically, the return signals renewed US leadership amid competition from China's Chang'e programme, which landed taikonauts in 2024. President Trump's administration has accelerated funding, emphasising lunar mining and Mars preparation. The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative has awarded over 20 contracts, fostering a vibrant lunar economy.

Challenges persist, including radiation shielding, dust abrasion on suits, and landing precision in shadowed craters. Yet, advancements in autonomous systems and AI navigation promise safer operations. Artemis V and beyond will deploy larger habitats, rovers, and resource extractors, aiming for a semi-permanent base by 2030.

This resurgence captivates global audiences, echoing Apollo's inspiration while addressing modern imperatives like climate-independent resources and multi-planetary resilience. Live broadcasts from Artemis II drew billions, reigniting STEM interest worldwide. Ultimately, these missions herald an era where the Moon serves as humanity's stepping stone to the stars.

​Agencies