this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Artemis is in an interesting place right now. It's a bit of a mess. But it has a lot of cool and interesting parts.
Artemis 2 might launch in 2026 with 4 astronauts for a loop around the moon. Artemis 3 might launch this decade for a lunar landing with 2 astronauts aboard a SpaceX Starship lander. A lot needs to happen for that to work, like massive progress on the Starship program and Axiom space suits, and continued progress on Lockheed's Orion capsule.
Artemis 2 and 3 aren't givens anymore in the DOGE era, but they might still happen. A4+ rely on a new SLS stage from Boeing (EUS) and a new launch tower from Bechtel that are both running way over cost. Also in the mix is Lunar Gateway, a space station around the moon that isn't really needed to get to the surface, but includes some different parts from international partners. So, who knows. We'll see what happens.