What is NASA's Artemis program and when will humans return to the Moon?

The answer

NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence. Artemis I successfully completed an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon in December 2022, traveling 2.25 million kilometers over 25 days. Artemis II, scheduled for September 2025, will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby - the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis III, planned for 2026, will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon near the lunar south pole using SpaceX's Starship as a lander. The program includes building the Lunar Gateway orbital station and establishing a permanent base camp for scientific research and as a stepping stone to Mars.