On Dec. 11, 1972, Apollo 17 left the moon with the last men to be on the moon. It has been over 50 years since then. In recent years, several long-running projects to return to the moon are getting close to being ready for a new manned mission to the moon. NASA’s Space Launch System and SpaceX’s human landing system, along with new space suits by Axiom Space, are all coming together for a potential launch in late 2027.
The space launch system is a large rocket developed by NASA to allow for the launch of massive payloads up to 27 tons into deep space. This ability is unmatched and is provided by a three-stage launch system. Two boosters consist of five individual solid rocket propellant stages, which then fall away high up. These boosters were initially planned to be recoverable however the removal of the parachutes and deployment systems added 0.9 tonnes of payload capacity. The second stage is the primary main stage which has five liquid-fueled motors. This will propel the rocket to low orbit and then fall to Earth and burn up. The final top stage will provide the burn to reach an escape from Earth’s orbit. The remaining payload will be the lunar transport module Orion.
Starship is the name given to the lunar landing craft developed for a multipurpose role that will be used to supply the astronauts with life support, among other things, during their moon mission. The crew and landing module will be sent separately and will dock in lunar orbit. From there, the crew will remain on the moon for approximately six days before returning to orbit and returning to Earth.
The final major invitation to this mission is space suit development to support astronauts on the moon for extended periods. Axiom Space has been contracted to build both a moonwalking suite as well as a new space walking suit. The current ones owned by NASA are reaching the end of their service lives, so new ones are needed. The new space suits will also offer improved mobility and reliability by utilizing modern materials.
The return to the moon is a part of the larger Artemis program to eventually bring humans to Mars and establish multi-planetary settlements.