Artemis II success boosts Moon mission hopes
NASA’s Artemis II mission has successfully completed a historic journey around the far side of the Moon, safely returning four astronauts to Earth and reigniting global interest in human space exploration. The Orion spacecraft performed as expected, while images captured during the mission have inspired a new generation to imagine life beyond Earth. However, despite this achievement, experts caution that the most difficult phase of the Artemis programme still lies ahead. While orbiting the Moon is a major milestone, establishing a sustained human presence there—or eventually reaching Mars—remains uncertain. A new ambition beyond Apollo When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon in 1969, many believed it would mark the beginning of permanent human activity in space. Instead, the Apollo programme ended after achieving its geopolitical objective during the Cold War. This time, NASA’s vision is more ambitious. […]