The Artemis III mission and those beyond should be canceled and we should start over, proceeding with all deliberate speed," Griffin said. He included a link to his plan, which is not dissimilar from the "Apollo on Steroids" architecture he championed two decades ago, but was later found to be unaffordable within NASA's existing budget.
Artemis 2 aims to test several crucial systems, such as astronaut life support, which will be used on the Artemis 3 mission, scheduled to land on the Moon in 2027. The program's goal, said Hawkins, is to maintain a continuous human presence on the Moon. Part of this effort will be to test technologies developed in collaboration with private companies and international partners, including Europe, which could help carry the first astronauts to the next step: Mars.
