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A Brief about the Six Components of The ARTEMIS Moon Mission for Students

Amongst all the topics in the UPSC syllabus, one topic that intrigued me was Space Technology. This was something, I had not explored much. Leaving science subjects after 10th class made me feel a bit distant from Space Missions. But as I started to read more, I have begun to be amazed by all the developments happening in the world.

So here is a breakdown of 6 important components of the ARTEMIS Mission.

What is the ARTEMIS Mission?

The talk about going to the moon is getting closer to reality. With the ARTEMIS Mission, NASA will land the first Woman and also the first person of colour on the moon. Using the learnings from the moon, the aim is to then launch Astronauts to Mars.

ARTEMIS is the acronym for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun. Let's have a quick look at the important components of this Mission.

#1 Orion Spacecraft

If you were the astronaut going to the moon, you would be seated in this vehicle. This same vehicle will be used to go to the Moon and return to the Earth.

#2 Space Launch System Rocket

This Rocket is the only one capable of sending the Orion, the Astronauts and Cargo to the Moon. You might be aware of India's GSLV MK-III which launched Chandrayaan-2. On similar lines, this rocket will launch the Orion Spacecraft.

#3 Exploration Ground Systems (EGS)

This comprises the backend work needed to ensure that the launch is successful. It also includes planning the recovery of returning astronauts. The larger aim of NASA is to transform this EGS centre situated in Kennedy Space Centre, Florida into a Spaceport.

Currently, most of the launches are being done by the Government. But in future, it would handle different kinds of Spacecrafts and Rockets for Government and Commercial needs.

#4 Gateway

This is a Spaceship that would be continuously orbiting the Moon for a decade. The Orion Spacecraft will connect with the Gateway. The astronauts will then use a separate lander to reach the Moon.

#5 Human Landing Systems

This is a crucial component that is the final transportation from the Lunar orbit to the Moon's surface and back. This is what you might have read in the news about NASA selecting SpaceX as a partner.

#6 ARTEMIS Base Camp

This is the final component of the Mission. NASA has planned this base camp to include a modern lunar cabin, a rover, and a mobile home. It will be a place to live and work on the Moon.

That was in short a quick brief about one of the most exciting projects we would be witnessing in the coming years.

If you are interested in Moon or Space in general, do check out this blog by Jatan. By a stroke of luck, I came across it and it has some deep dives into the latest updates in Space Missions and Technology.