A Bigger, Bolder Moon Shot

In 2022, NASA launched its first Artemis mission, an uncrewed test flight around the moon and back. Andrew Driesman Mission area executive, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory "This time around, the mission isn't a one-and-done race to a finish line. "Twenty years ago, it cost between $10,000 and $20,000 per pound [to pay for the fuel and equipment] to get something into space," Driesman says. The first mission, Artemis I, took place in November 2022 without astronauts on board—a 25-day test run to make sure everything functioned properly. "Above all, let's not re-create the mistakes made on Earth," Silk cautions.