NASA is quietly reshaping how we will understand the Moon, selecting a trio of new Artemis science payloads that target its terrain, radiation, and deep history. Together, they promise to turn future landers into precision probes of the lunar surface and environment,

For the first time in more than half a century, humans are preparing to leave Earth’s orbit and head near the moon, with NASA’s Artemis 2 mission set to launch in 2026. Decades after the last Apollo astronauts gazed back at our celestial neighbor,

Artemis isn’t just about returning to the Moon. It’s about building the systems needed to operate beyond Earth orbit.

The crawler carrying the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft was built 60 years ago to haul NASA’s Saturn V rockets, then kept around for the Space Shuttle Program. Now, the vehicle is back to its original purpose of positioning Moon-bound rockets on their launch pads.

No one in NASA’s Artemis II crew had been born when astronauts last ventured into deep space for the final Apollo program Moon landing in 1972. For the last half-century, human space efforts have focused on science research and technology initiatives aboard low-Earth-orbit spacecraft, culminating with the Inter-national Space Station.

In 2026, astronauts will travel around the moon for the first time since the Apollo era, powerful new space telescopes will prepare to survey billions of galaxies, and multiple nations will launch missions aimed at finding habitable worlds,

This week NASA announced a list of launch opportunities for Artemis II , the mission that will bring 4 astronauts including North Carolina's own Christina Koch. But how is each selected?

America's next mission to the moon is happening in only a few weeks.

On this day in 1969, NASA formally announced the prime crew selected to carry out the Apollo 11 mission, a decision that would soon mark one of the most defining moments in human history.