On Monday, May 13th, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration formally announced the beginning of something new: Project Artemis. Using the latest shuttle, the Space Launch System (SLS), and Orion, the new human space capsule, engineers plan to have humans back on the moon, and eventually further. Data from lunar orbiters suggest that water ice on our moon could be used and cultivated in the next step in deep-space travel: a lunar outpost. The total cost hasn’t been released yet, but to jumpstart the process, President Donald J. Trump has approved the request for a 1.6 billion dollar increase towards the NASA budget. Although, Congress still has to approve the request to put it in action, and it’s not known which direction they are leaning.

Money isn’t the only setback, though. Boeing, the creators of the SLS, have been experiencing technological problems with recent spacecraft. This may put NASA in hot water if future projects, like the shuttle, have issues. Evidence shows an international partnership may be necessary to sustain such an abiding process. Constant delays to the Orion completion may create delays for the program. However, Blue Origin, a spaceflight company owned by Jeff Bezos, may help contribute to the growth of the project.

If Project Artemis is a success, this will pave the road for many deep space missions aboard the Orion capsule and similar spacecraft. NASA called the SLS “The catalyst for deep space missions,” and so far, with the current developments in aerospace technology, it seems promising.