Since 1945,
NACA (NASA's predecessor) and, since January 26, 1958, NASA has conducted the X-Plane Program. The program was originally intended to create a family of
experimental aircraft not intended for production beyond the limited number of each design built solely for flight research.[2] The first X-Plane, the
Bell X-1, was the first rocket-powered airplane to break the
sound barrier on October 14, 1947.[3] X-Planes have set numerous milestones since then, both crewed and unpiloted.[4]
In May 2009, the
Obama administration announced the launch of an independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities with the goal of ensuring that the nation is on a vigorous and sustainable path to achieving its boldest aspirations in space. The review was conducted by a panel of experts led by
Norman Augustine, the former CEO of
Lockheed Martin, who served on the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology under both
Democrat and
Republican presidents.[5]
The "
Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans" was to examine ongoing and planned National Aeronautics and Space Administration (
NASA) development activities, as well as potential alternatives and present options for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable human space flight program in the years following Space Shuttle retirement. The panel worked closely with NASA and sought input from the
United States Congress,
the White House, the public, industry, and international partners as it developed its options. It presented its results on October 22, 2009.[6][7][8]
In February 2010, Obama announced his proposal to cancel the
Constellation Program as part of the 2011 Economic Projects. Constellation was officially canceled by the
NASA Budget Authorization Act on October 11, 2010.
NASA brought the
Orion spacecraft back to life from the defunct
Constellation Program and successfully test-launched the first capsule on December 5, 2014, aboard
EFT-1. After a near-perfect flight traveling 3,600 miles (5,800 km) above Earth, the spacecraft was recovered for study. NASA plans to use the Orion crew vehicle to send humans to deep space locations such as the Moon and Mars starting in the 2020s. Orion will be powered by NASA's new heavy-lift vehicle, the
Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently under development.
Artemis 1 is the first flight of the SLS and was launched as a test of the completed Orion and SLS system.[9] During the mission, an uncrewed Orion capsule will spend 10 days in a
distant retrograde 60,000 kilometers (37,000 mi) orbit around the Moon before returning to Earth.[10]Artemis 2, the first crewed mission of the program, will launch four astronauts in 2025[11] on a
free-return flyby of the Moon at a distance of 8,900 kilometers (5,500 mi).[12][13][14]
After Artemis 2, the Power and Propulsion Element of the
Lunar Gateway and three components of an expendable lunar lander are planned to be delivered on multiple launches from commercial
launch service providers.[15]
Artemis 3 is planned to launch in 2026[16] aboard an SLS Block 1 rocket and will use the minimalist Gateway and expendable lander to achieve the first crewed lunar landing of the program. The flight is planned to touch down on the
lunar south pole region, with two astronauts staying there for about one week.[15][17][18][19][20]
^
abWeitering, Hanneke (May 23, 2019).
"NASA Has a Full Plate of Lunar Missions Before Astronauts Can Return to Moon". Space.com.
Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019. And before NASA sends astronauts to the moon in 2024, the agency will first have to launch five aspects of the lunar Gateway, all of which will be commercial vehicles that launch separately and join each other in lunar orbit. First, a power and propulsion element will launch in 2022. Then, the crew module will launch (without a crew) in 2023. In 2024, during the months leading up to the crewed landing, NASA will launch the last critical components: a transfer vehicle that will ferry landers from the Gateway to a lower lunar orbit, a descent module that will bring the astronauts to the lunar surface, and an ascent module that will bring them back up to the transfer vehicle, which will then return them to the Gateway.
^Grush 2019, "Now, for Artemis 3 that carries our crew to the Gateway, we need to have the crew have access to a lander. So, that means that at Gateway we're going to have the Power and Propulsion Element, which will be launched commercially, the Utilization Module, which will be launched commercially, and then we'll have a lander there..
^Grush 2019, "The direction that we have right now is that the next man and the first woman will be Americans and that we will land on the south pole of the Moon in 2024.".
^Chang, Kenneth (May 25, 2019). "For Artemis Mission to Moon, NASA Seeks to Add Billions to Budget". The New York Times.
Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019. Under the NASA plan, a mission to land on the moon would take place during the third launch of the Space Launch System. Astronauts, including the first woman to walk on the moon, Mr. Bridenstine said, would first stop at the orbiting lunar outpost. They would then take a lander to the surface near its south pole, where frozen water exists within the craters.