The NASA Artemis Program

The NASA Artemis Program

April 1, 2026, marked the launch of NASA’s 10-day Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts around the moon as the first manned mission in the Artemis Program.

Solar System Ambassador Elaine Fortin returns to the Cornwall Public Library to discuss the NASA Artemis Program, and its focus on reviving human exploration of the moon as a step to reaching Mars.

The program began with Artemis I, an unmanned mission, which circled the moon in November 2022, fifty years after Apollo 17, the last manned lunar mission, in 1972, and will take place in multiple phases: The April launch of Artemis II being the second phase, and followed by the March 2027 scheduled launch of Artemis III, which will fly in low earth orbit to test interactivity between Artemis’s ‘Orion’ spacecraft and several commercially produced modules. Artemis IV, scheduled for 2028 will land humans on the moon, and there are many more launches planned after that.

Apollo was all about NASA. Today, many new partners are involved. Besides major space agencies from other countries, today’s world has seen a shift in players who can afford to build and explore space.

Lots to discuss, and it starts with Artemis! We hope you will join us!