NASA’s Artemis II crew was poised for a historic liftoff, marking the first return of humans beyond low Earth orbit since the last Apollo missions in 1972. Space experts and one of the last people to walk on the moon reflected on what the mission means scientifically, geopolitically and culturally — and why it matters as a stepping-stone to Mars.
Going further than low Earth orbit
Artemis II is not a routine trip to the International Space Station — that’s only a few hundred kilometers high. Artemis II will take astronauts much farther, into lunar orbit and around the far side of the moon. Each day of the mission builds on the previous one: milestones must be passed sequentially, and mission planners emphasize a step-by-step approach where success at each stage enables the next.
A new era of sustained lunar presence
Jack Kiraly of The Planetary Society stressed that Artemis is designed as an architecture for sustainable presence, not one-off missions. The goal is long-term operations: using the moon for science, to learn about Earth’s history and the formation of the solar system, and to identify resources that could enable deeper space exploration. Identifying and understanding lunar resources is integral to future missions, including Mars.
Public-private partnership and broader involvement
Artemis is a cross-sector effort. NASA is working with many private companies — from SpaceX and Blue Origin to hundreds of contractors nationwide. Kiraly noted more than 4,000 companies contribute to Artemis, spreading benefits across states and congressional districts. The program includes numerous science missions, technology demonstrations and infrastructure projects on and around the moon. Commercial activity and innovation help reduce costs and accelerate development, while government-led efforts coordinate exploration objectives.
Science, resources and the search for life
The moon’s scientific value includes insights into Earth’s past and the solar system’s formation. Resources such as potential lunar volatiles or helium-3 are of interest for energy research and enabling deep-space systems. Kiraly and others emphasize that human exploration, robotic missions, and space telescopes together advance the search for life beyond Earth — an overarching scientific motivation that ties lunar work to eventual Mars missions.
Geopolitics and leadership in discovery
Kiraly noted the geopolitical stakes: the nation making the greatest discovery could secure major scientific and strategic prestige. That concern, combined with the scientific imperative, shapes political support and funding for ambitious programs. Congress has endorsed a stepping-stone plan that envisions the moon as a launchpad to Mars.
Voices from Apollo: Harrison Schmitt’s perspective
Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt — one of the last humans to walk on the moon — has advocated for a return for decades. He welcomes Artemis II as a crucial milestone. Schmitt highlighted the geopolitical and resource arguments for lunar return, as well as the business case for private-sector involvement to sustain activity. He co-founded Interlune, focused on commercial lunar resources such as helium-3, which has potential applications in fusion energy, propulsion and other technologies.
Personal memories and why it mattered
Schmitt recalled Apollo 17’s landing site, the Taurus-Littrow valley, and described the deep geological significance and the intense sense of exploration. Though the spacecraft and surface operations required rigorous procedures and relied on mission control, the sense of being part of humankind’s expansion into space was profound. He emphasized the confidence the crew felt in mission control and colleagues on Earth, and said the experience was not lonely but an extraordinary scientific and national service.
Business cases and commercial incentives
Both Schmitt and Kiraly argued that commercial motivations are essential to accelerate progress. Private companies create markets and technologies that can complement government missions. Commercial lunar ventures, tourism, and resource prospecting can build the economic justification for sustained human presence and infrastructure on the moon, which in turn supports deeper exploration goals.
Technical and programmatic cautions
Mission planners stress that every day of a deep-space mission is a test: success is sequential and iterative. Each milestone must be safely achieved before proceeding, and the program’s architecture is designed so that lessons from one mission feed forward into safer, more capable subsequent missions. NASA and its partners emphasize rigorous testing, redundancy and an incremental approach.
The moon, Mars and the long view
Artemis is framed as part of a roadmap that eventually aims at Mars. The moon provides an accessible environment to test technologies, study in-situ resources, and learn how humans operate far from Earth. Schmitt underlined the continuity from Apollo to Artemis, saying the younger NASA workforce and commercial partners can make sustained exploration both safe and efficient.
Why people watch and why it matters
For the public, Artemis II recalled the visceral memory of Apollo: looking up at the full moon and imagining people there again after more than five decades. For scientists and engineers, the mission is a platform for fundamental discoveries and technical advances. For policymakers, Artemis is a symbol of national leadership and industrial mobilization. For entrepreneurs, it’s a new frontier for markets and innovation.
In short, Artemis II represents a convergence: scientific goals, geopolitical considerations, commercial opportunity and human aspiration. It’s both a return and a beginning — a bridge from the Apollo legacy toward a sustainable human future in deep space.