For NASA, the successful launch of the Artemis rocket and the Orion capsule is only the first step in a long list to achieve a feat: to allow humans to live on the Moon by 2030.
With the Artemis project, NASA is working to make the return of Man to the Moon a reality. Of course, this is an ambitious plan organized in several stages. For the time being, stage One of the project is continuing without incident, with the exception of the two consecutive postponements of the launch of the Artemis rocket due to several technical problems with the engines.
But on November 16, 2022, the rocket flew safely to the earth’s natural satellite. It embarks on board the Orion space capsule, the vehicle which will be used to deposit the astronauts on the ground of the lunar star in due course. For this first mission, the Orion podstowed at the end of the launcher, will pass behind the Moon, 64,000 km away.
Of course, no living being is on board. On the other hand, a dummy was installed comfortably in the ship. The goal is for the NASA teams to observe the impacts and effects of such a trip on the human body. “NOTWe have to go back to the Moon, we are working on a sustainable program and this is the vehicle that will bring people back who will land on the Moon again”, said Howard Hu, director of the Orion program.
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Humans will live on the moon by 2030
With Artemis 2, a group of astronauts will board the ship to evolve around the lunar orbit. We will have to wait for Artemis 3 to see humans set foot on the Moon again, by 2025 if we rely on the timetable set by the American agency. With Artemis 4 and 5, other missions to the Moon will be carried out.
And for Howard Hu, it is certain that humans will be able to live on the lunar star by 2030. According to him, it will be essential that astronauts be able to stay on the Moon, in particular to discover if there is water at the south pole of the satellite. In effect, it could be converted into fuel for ships which will go further into space, in particular towards Mars. “We’re going to send people to the surface and they’re going to live there for science. It’s going to be really, really important for us to learn a bit beyond our Earth orbit and then take a big step forward when we go to Mars.”
However, the scientist did not go into more detail: how long will the astronauts stay on the Moon? When and what equipment and modules will be sent to the satellite to guarantee the habitability of the surface? How will residents be supplied? So many questions that remain unanswered for the moment.