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Artemis IV

Summary of the Artemis IV mission plan
Mission type	Gateway Assembly, lunar landing
Operator	NASA
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Orion CM-005 Starship HLS I-Hab
Manufacturer	Orion CM: Lockheed Martin Orion SM: Airbus Defence and Space Starship: SpaceX I-Hab: Thales Alenia Space
Start of mission
Launch date	September 2028 (planned)
Rocket	Space Launch System Block 1B
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B
End of mission
Landing site	Pacific Ocean (planned)
Artemis program← Artemis IIIArtemis V →

Artemis IV is a planned mission of the NASA-led Artemis program. The mission will include the fourth use of a Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle, will send an Orion spacecraft with four astronauts to the Lunar Gateway space station, install a new module on the Gateway, and conduct the second lunar landing of the Artemis program.

Overview

The mission will deliver and install the International Habitation Module (I-Hab) of the Lunar Gateway space station. I-Hab is being developed by the European Space Agency and the Japanese space agency JAXA. The mission will dock I-Hab to the first Gateway elements, the Power and Propulsion Element and Habitation and Logistics Outpost.

After docking, astronauts will board a Starship HLS (HLS) vehicle also docked to the station. They will descend to the lunar surface in the HLS lander for a multi-day site inspection.

Artemis IV will be the first flight of the Block 1B version of the Space Launch System. For Block 1B the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage used on SLS Block 1 will be replaced with the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage, increasing the rocket's trans-lunar injection capability from >27 t (60,000 lb), to >42 t (93,000 lb). This increased performance allows I-Hab to be launched together with the Orion spacecraft.

As of March 2023, Artemis IV is scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2028.

Crew

Prime crew

Position	Astronaut
Commander	TBA, NASA TBA spaceflight
Pilot	TBA, NASA TBA spaceflight
Mission Specialist	TBA, ESA TBA spaceflight
Payload specialist	TBA, NASA TBA spaceflight

Elements

Space Launch System

The Space Launch System is a super-heavy-lift launcher used to launch the Orion spacecraft from Earth to a trans-lunar orbit. This will be the first Artemis mission to use an SLS Block 1B rocket with an advanced Exploration Upper Stage for four upcoming missions until the proposed Artemis IX, which will use SLS Block 2 with advanced boosters.

Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

Orion is the crew transport vehicle used by all Artemis missions. It comprises the Orion Crew Module and the European Service Module and will transport the crew from Earth to the Gateway orbit, dock to the Gateway, deliver the I-Hab module to the Gateway, and return them back to Earth.

Gateway

Gateway is a small modular space station to be established in Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) in late 2024. The first two Gateway elements (Power and Propulsion Element and the Habitation and Logistics Outpost) will launch together aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy and spend a year spiraling out to the near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon prior to Artemis IV.

Human Landing System

Current Artemis IV mission plans call for use of the SpaceX Starship HLS Option B configuration to support the lunar landing and return to Gateway phase of the mission.

Mobile Launcher 2

The heavier total mass of the SLS Block 1B vehicle requires use of the Mobile Launcher-2 ground support equipment. Current development schedules and challenges experienced by the ML-2 contractor team in the design and delivery of the system have placed this GSE on the critical path from a schedule perspective. Delays to ML-2 availability for use will delay launch of the SLS Block 1B variant. The NASA Office of Inspectior General (OIG) estimates the earliest that ML-2 will be available for Artemis IV is November 2026.

See also

• List of Artemis missions
• List of missions to the Moon

References

1. ^ Foust, Jeff (13 March 2023). "NASA planning to spend up to $1 billion on space station deorbit module". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
2. Foust, Jeff (20 January 2022). "NASA foresees gap in lunar landings after Artemis 3". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
3. Foust, Jeff (30 October 2022). "Lunar landing restored for Artemis 4 mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
4. Foust, Jeff (26 September 2022). "NASA and ESA sign lunar cooperation statement". SpaceNews. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
5. "SLS Block 1 Crew, Block 1B Crew, Block 1B Cargo and Block 2 Cargo Evolution". NASA. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
6. Rincon, Paul (10 November 2021). "NASA's Orion spacecraft: A guide". BBC. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
7. Brown, Mike (15 March 2022). "NASA Lunar Gateway: Launch Window, Specs, and Orbit of the Moon's Space Station". Inverse. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
8. Foust, Jeff (10 February 2021). "NASA selects Falcon Heavy to launch first Gateway elements". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
9. "Artemis 4 mission will still involve landing on the Moon". Universe Space Tech. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
10. ^ Smith, Marcia (9 June 2022). "NASA IG Slams Bechtel on Mobile Launcher 2". Space Policy Online. Retrieved 3 December 2022.

External links

v t e Artemis program
List of missions astronauts Commercial Lunar Payload Services Exploration Ground Systems Gateway Logistics Services
Missions	Uncrewed Artemis I (2022) Peregrine Mission One (2024) IM-1 (2024) Blue Ghost M1 (2024) IM-2 (2025) Crewed Artemis II (2025) Artemis III (2026) Artemis IV (2028) Artemis V (2030)
Agencies	NASA Australian Space Agency Canadian Space Agency European Space Agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency State Space Agency of Ukraine Korea Aerospace Research Institute New Zealand Space Agency Brazilian Space Agency Saudi Space Commission
Facilities	Cape Canaveral Space Force Station SLC-37B SLC-40 SLC-41 SLC-46 Kennedy Space Center LC-39A LC-39B Mission Control Center SpaceX Starbase Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC-3E SLC-4E White Sands Missile Range
Rockets	Electron Falcon 9 Falcon Heavy Space Launch System Starship Vulcan Centaur Ariane 6 New Glenn
Crewed spacecraft	Human Landing System Starship Blue Moon Lunar Gateway Lunar Terrain Vehicle Orion European Service Module
Robotic spacecraft	CAPSTONE HERACLES Argonaut Nova-C Peregrine VIPER rover
Category

v t e Orion spacecraft
Components	Crew module European Service Module Orbital Maneuvering System
Programs	Artemis Constellation Exploration Ground Systems
Launch vehicles	Delta IV Heavy Orion Abort Test Booster Space Launch System
Precursors or Cancelled	Crew Exploration Vehicle Ares V Ares I
Missions	Abort tests MLAS (Jul 2009) Pad Abort-1 (May 2010) Ascent Abort-2 (Jul 2019) Uncrewed Ares I-X (Oct 2009) Exploration Flight Test-1 (Dec 2014) Artemis I (Nov 2022) Crewed Artemis II (2025) Artemis III (2026) Artemis IV (2028) Artemis V (2030)
Future missions indicated in italics. Category

• 2028 in spaceflight
• Artemis program
• Crewed missions to the Moon
• Orion (spacecraft)
• Space Launch System
• 2028 in the United States
• Missions to the Moon
• Crewed spacecraft
• Future human spaceflights
• Lunar Gateway
• NASA spacecraft
• Space stations