What’s going on
- Apollo 8 launched on Dec. 21, 1968, entered lunar orbit on Dec. 24, and returned to Earth on Dec. 27. It was the first time humans orbited the Moon.
- NASA astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders flew the mission. From lunar orbit, the crew transmitted live TV and captured the “Earthrise” photograph.
- Apollo 8 took place during a turbulent year in the United States and abroad. The mission is widely remembered as a major public event that briefly shifted attention to space exploration.
- NASA is now planning Artemis 2, a crewed lunar flyby that would send astronauts around the Moon without landing. NASA currently targets 2026 for the flight.
- Artemis 2 is part of a broader plan that also includes Artemis 3, which is intended to return astronauts to the lunar surface. Those missions rely on NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew capsule.
- NASA and its partners are treating Artemis as a long-term program with international participation. The agency has linked the program to future work near the Moon and to later crewed missions beyond it.
Why it matters
- Artemis 2 would be the first crewed mission to travel to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. It would test key systems with astronauts onboard in deep-space conditions, a requirement before later landing attempts.
- The mission also serves political and program goals. A successful flight can help sustain funding and maintain U.S. leadership in human spaceflight partnerships, including with countries that have signed on to NASA's Artemis-related agreements.