Step by Step
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The Artemis program
NASA and international partners aim to return humans to the Moon, with Artemis III targeted for 2026 or later. The Lunar Gateway, a planned space station in lunar orbit, will support these efforts. Commercial lunar landers, including SpaceX's Starship HLS (Human Landing System) and Blue Origin's lander, will play key roles.
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Mars Sample Return
This planned mission will combine Perseverance's already-cached samples with a dedicated fetch rover and an Earth return vehicle, targeting completion sometime in the 2030s.
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Other major upcoming missions
Europa Clipper (launched 2024) will conduct 49 flybys of Europa, searching for signs of habitability. Dragonfly (planned for 2028) is a rotorcraft lander designed to explore Titan directly. The Roman Space Telescope will conduct a wide-field survey focused on dark energy and exoplanets.
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Crewed Mars missions and the lunar economy
SpaceX targets crewed Mars missions sometime in the 2030s, with NASA's own crewed Mars mission expected later still. Longer-term plans include an Artemis base camp and ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) — technology for producing fuel, water, or oxygen directly from local lunar or Martian resources.
Applied Walkthrough
1
Under the Artemis program, NASA and its international and commercial partners are working to return humans to the Moon, with Artemis III targeted for 2026 or later, supported by the planned Lunar Gateway station in lunar orbit.
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Meanwhile, robotic exploration continues to expand: Europa Clipper, launched in 2024, will conduct 49 flybys of Europa specifically searching for signs of habitability, while the Dragonfly rotorcraft, planned for 2028, will explore Titan's surface directly by flying from location to location.
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On the sample-return front, a dedicated Mars Sample Return mission — combining Perseverance's cached samples, a fetch rover, and an Earth return vehicle — aims to finally bring Martian material back to Earth sometime in the 2030s.
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Looking further ahead, both SpaceX and NASA are targeting crewed Mars missions in the 2030s and beyond, alongside longer-term plans for a permanent Artemis base camp on the Moon supported by ISRU technology — producing fuel, water, or oxygen directly from local resources, rather than shipping everything from Earth.
Exam Application
Exams test whether you know the current timeline and goals of the Artemis program, whether you know what upcoming missions like Europa Clipper and Dragonfly are designed to investigate, and whether you understand the concept of ISRU and its importance for future lunar/Mars bases.
⚠ Common Trap
The most common trap is confusing the various upcoming missions' targets — Europa Clipper is heading to Jupiter's moon Europa (searching for habitability), while Dragonfly is heading to Saturn's moon Titan (as a rotorcraft lander) — these are two very different destinations with very different mission designs.
✓ Quick Self-Check
1. What is the Artemis program's goal, and what is the target date for Artemis III?
Returning humans to the Moon; targeted for 2026 or later.
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2. What will the Mars Sample Return mission combine to bring Martian samples to Earth?
Perseverance's cached samples, a fetch rover, and an Earth return vehicle.
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3. What is Europa Clipper designed to investigate, and how?
Europa's habitability, via 49 planned flybys.
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4. What is Dragonfly, and where is it headed?
A rotorcraft lander, headed to Titan.
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5. What does ISRU stand for, and why does it matter for future missions?
In-situ resource utilization — producing fuel, water, or oxygen from local resources, essential for sustainable lunar or Mars bases.
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