It has been 54 years since humans last headed to the moon, but Artemis II has successfully completed its 10-day mission and ushered in an exciting new era of space exploration.
And with the CSIRO playing a vital role in the mission’s success, Australia stands at the forefront of this move to once again reach for the stars.
What was the Artemis II mission?
The Artemis II mission was a test flight, with astronauts on board NASA’s newest spacecraft, the Orion, evaluating its systems and practising emergency procedures.
The team was launched into space on the SLS rocket, and travelled around 7,500 kilometres beyond the far side of the moon (deeper into space than any human had gone before) before being pulled back naturally by Earth’s gravity and hurtling towards Earth at 30 times the speed of sound to touch down in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission was a highly successful test that paves the way for once again landing humans on the Moon with Artemis IV in 2028. NASA has its focus set on building a moon base.
But what exactly was Australia’s role in this history-making mission? And what will our contributions to space research look like in the future?
How did Australia contribute to the project?
Professor of Practice, Space Innovation at Monash University, Larry James, explains that the CSIRO supported tracking and communication on the mission.
“The Canberra Deep Space Communication Centre (CDSCC) is the only Southern Hemisphere component of NASA’s Deep Space Network,” he explains.
“The controllers made sure NASA knew the location of Artemis II and could communicate continuously with the crew and the data signals.
“When the CDSCC was in daylight, it controlled all of the DSN antennae, not only in Australia but in California and Madrid as well. It was critical to a successful mission.”
Australia also supported the demonstration of a laser communication experiment during the mission, utilising lasers from the Artemis spacecraft to beam down data to a site at Mt Stromolo, where ANU developed technology was tested and proven in this role.
“The Southern Launch based in Adelaide also contributed to the mission, utilising their Koonibba Test range to passively track the Orion Spacecraft and monitor speed and trajectory.”
What’s next for space exploration?
Amazingly, the Artemis II mission is the first of many space programs that Australia is set to take part in over the next 5 years. It has revealed the benefits of investing in solar exploration, opening new doors of opportunity.
“As seen from the Artemis mission, pushing the boundaries of exploration can serve to uplift all of humanity at a time of international uncertainty,” says Professor James.
“There can be economic benefits, with the possibility of rare and important minerals that could be available near the moon’s surface. And it paves the way for humans to go to Mars, further expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system.”
“We can learn much on Mars since it is the most Earth-like planet in the solar system, and at one time had seas of water. Through our research, we will be able to answer questions surrounding what changed and why Mars is dry and barren today, which can inform how we manage our Earth as well.”
With Artemis planning to land on the surface of the moon by 2028, Australia will continue to play an important role in the process.
“Australia is a signatory to the Artemis accords, meaning it will be involved in future Artemis missions, and is currently preparing for the lunar Roo-ver mission to launch in 2030 as well. So we are very much a part of this lunar exploration,” Professor James explains.
Roo-ver is the Australian-made rover that will be landed on the Moon’s South Pole region by intuitive machines. It will collect data about the surface of the moon and support international space science. The rover is expected to operate for around 14 Earth days on its journey, or about half a Moon day.
According to Professor James, this next chapter of space exploration couldn’t be more important.
“This is a first for Australia – to build a machine that will operate on another planet. We will learn a lot about working with NASA, which will pay dividends for future missions, and hopefully inspire the next generation to be a part of this amazing journey.”
“There are lots of challenges to long-term lunar exploration, with no atmosphere to protect astronauts and equipment from radiation, extreme temperature or lunar dust. But if we can ensure a supply chain to support long-term habitation and develop the capacity for in-situ resource utilisation, the possibilities are endless.”
To read about the Aussie student who received the inaugural NASA space scholarship, click here.