The first crewed mission of the Artemis program won’t land on the moon, but it aims to take four astronauts farther from the Earth than anyone has gone before.

Fast forward to the present day. The Space Launch System has flown only once, during the Artemis I mission, and is preparing to fly again with Artemis II. According to the NASA Office of Inspector General, the Space Launch System costs $4 billion per flight, not to speak of the immense amount of money to develop the rocket.

Policymakers assess the Lunar Gateway’s role in Artemis amid funding debates, international commitments, and plans for sustained lunar missions and future Mars exploration.

The map unveils small mare ridges, geologically young features that will aid the selection of landing sites for future Moon missions.

NASA is targeting March 6 as the earliest launch date for Artemis II’s journey to the Moon after what the agency describes as a successful wet dress rehearsal this week. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator,