Artemis is a space program to return American astronauts and their international partners to the moon. It is run by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Astronauts first visited the moon as part of NASA’s Apollo program in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Through the Artemis program, NASA aims to establish a permanent presence on the moon. Artemis is named for the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. The goddess Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo. 
An Artemis mission to the lunar surface will make use of three main components. They are (1) the Orion spacecraft, (2) the Lunar Gateway space station, and (3) the Human Landing System (HLS). A Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch astronauts aboard an Orion spacecraft to lunar orbit. There, Orion will dock with the Lunar Gateway, a planned space station in orbit around the moon. At the gateway, astronauts will transfer to an HLS lander that will bring them to the surface of the moon. Astronauts will ascend in the same HLS lander to return to the gateway. Other landers may send supplies and modules (spacecraft and space station components) to the lunar surface.
The first Artemis mission, Artemis 1, launched on Nov. 16, 2022. It marked the first combined test flight of Orion and the SLS. The uncrewed Orion spacecraft traveled beyond the moon on a three-week flight, then returned to Earth on Dec. 11, 2022.
