Artemis II, going Back to the Moon, Without Getting Our Boots Dusty (Yet)

NASA’s Artemis II mission is the long-awaited next step in humanity’s return to the Moon, after a modest 50-year tea break since Apollo. Scheduled as the first crewed flight of the Artemis program, Artemis II won’t actually land astronauts on the lunar surface. Instead, it’s a critical “dress rehearsal” that sends four astronauts around the Moon and safely back home, proving that NASA’s new deep-space hardware actually works when people are on board.

The mission will fly aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with astronauts riding inside the Orion spacecraft. Over roughly ten days, Orion will loop around the Moon, travel farther from Earth than any human-rated spacecraft ever has, and then scream back through Earth’s atmosphere at lunar-return speeds. The goal is simple but unforgiving: validate life-support systems, navigation, communications, heat shields, and human endurance before anyone attempts a lunar landing on Artemis III.

But why “Artemis”? In Greek mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the Moon. Naming the program Artemis is NASA’s not-so-subtle way of saying, “We’re going back, but this time, it’s a new generation.” Where Apollo was about flags and footprints, Artemis aims for sustainability maybe even a long-term lunar presence like a Moon-Base and the testing of new technologies which may eventually be a stepping stone to Mars.

And while astronauts and engineers get most of the glory, even the launch pad needs a bit of love. As the massive mobile launcher creeps from the rocket assembly shed to the launch pad, X-1R will be the lubricant of choice, ensuring the slow, heavy crawl happens smoothly and without drama. It’s a reminder that space exploration isn’t just about cutting-edge science in terms of rockets, but is also about reliable engineering, right down to the lubricants that have been the choice of NASA for over thirty years now.

Artemis II isn’t just a mission. It’s NASA saying, very clearly, that the road back to the Moon is finally under construction again and we at X-1R are proud to be a small part in the on-going story.