Crewed Missions
Human Spaceflight
People living and working off the planet, continuously, for decades.
Humans have lived in orbit without a break since 2000. The International Space Station is a laboratory, a diplomatic project and a proving ground for the long-duration life support that missions to the Moon and Mars will depend on — with commercial stations preparing to succeed it.
Articles on Human Spaceflight
NASA
Artemis II: NASA's First Crewed Return to the Moon
Artemis II will fly four astronauts around the Moon in 2026 — NASA's first crewed lunar voyage since Apollo. Inside the mission, crew, and timeline.
NASA
NASA Sets New Date for Artemis II Crewed Flyby
The first crewed mission around the Moon in over 50 years gets an updated launch window.
Technology
How Ion Engines Quietly Power Deep-Space Missions
The unglamorous thrusters that push probes across the solar system, explained.
Beyond the Dust: Scientists May Have Found Mars’ Missing Oceans Underground
New seismic data from NASA’s Insight lander suggests that vast reservoirs of liquid water may be hidden deep within the Martian crust, challenging everything we knew about the Red Planet's dry history.
Artemis II: A Perfect Fly-by Sets the Stage for Humanity’s Return to the Lunar Surface
NASA’s Artemis II mission has successfully completed its historic lunar fly-by, marking the first time humans have ventured to the far side of the Moon in over 50 years.
Missions to Human Spaceflight
All missions →
ISRO · Moon — South Pole
Chandrayaan-4
India's first lunar sample return mission. Will collect approximately 3 kg of regolith from the lunar south pole and return it to Earth.
NASA · Moon — South Pole
Artemis III
First crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17. Targets the Shackleton crater rim at the lunar south pole, carrying the first woman and first person of colour to the Moon.
NASA · Mars
Mars Sample Return
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign is an ambitious joint initiative by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) designed to bring pristine Martian soil, rock cores, and atmospheric samples back to Earth for the first time in human history. Building upon the groundwork laid by the Perseverance rover—which has been collecting and sealing scientifically valuable samples in Jezero Crater—this multi-vehicle mission involves complex robotics, a launch from the surface of another planet, and an orbital rendezvous to deliver the samples safely back to terrestrial laboratories for advanced, in-depth analysis.
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