The last person to walk on the Moon reflects on the geopolitical importance of a new era of human spaceflight.

Shoebox-size spacecraft will test new technologies for space science and exploration.

NASA plans to use 10 small satellites to study the Sun, Moon and deep space.

Following an 11-hr. flight readiness review, NASA on Aug. 22 cleared the first Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for a launch on the kickoff mission of the Artemis program, a U.S.-led initiative to establish a permanent human presence in deep space.

The Artemis I flight test of NASA’s superheavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule sets the stage for crewed missions.

NASA’s Artemis I initial test flight of the Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule will be carrying a rich array of secondary science and technology payloads intended to demonstrate new space technologies and pave the way for a permanent human presence at the Moon and subsequent human exploration of Mars.

The first Space Launch System rocket, topped with an Orion deep-space capsule, was rolled out to Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B on Aug. 17 in preparation for an Aug. 29 launch attempt.

NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I initial test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule will exercise the first of three flight trajectory strategies intended to kick off the return of human explorers to the lunar surface.