“When we think about Artemis, we focus a lot on the Moon, but I just want everybody…to remember, our sights are not set on the Moon — our sights are set clearly on Mars,” said Reid Wiseman, chief astronaut at Johnson Space Center, during the press event. Wiseman emphasized how foundational the Artemis 1 test flight will be for Artemis 2, Artemis 3, and beyond.
“Artemis 3 is leading to the rest of the Artemis program — the first woman, the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, and then the first humans trekking out to Mars and putting our footsteps and building science laboratories and having [access to] another planet,” Wiseman said. “To me, it is just the most awe-inspiring moment that we have had here at NASA.”
The future is indeed already underway, with all sights now set on Aug. 29.