Moon joy (noun) — the feeling of intense happiness and excitement that comes from a mission to the moon.
By Robert S. Loeb
April 2026
The Artemis II crew and their story brought us incredible joy and optimism. The above definition is how NASA characterized the latest mission, which began its journey to the moon on April 1 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.
This mission was historic in many ways. It was the first time we sent people to the moon in over 19,000 days (Apollo 17 concluded on December 19, 1972). It was also the first time a woman (Christina Koch), a person of color (Victor Glover) and a non-American (Canadian Jeremy Hansen) journeyed to the moon. The fourth member of the crew was Commander Reid Wiseman. This crew traveled farther into space than ever before—they flew 252,756 miles from Earth, reaching a top speed of 24,000 miles per hour. The outside of the capsule reached temperatures of 5,000 degrees.
The goals of Artemis II were many, but the primary objective was to act as a rigorous “crew flight test” to prove that the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are safe for humans before NASA attempts an actual landing. It accomplished that goal, and in doing so, NASA has cleared the path for Artemis III, which is being prepared for 2027. In that mission, the crew will focus on docking the Orion capsule with the massive new landers (SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s lander) to ensure they work seamlessly together before heading to the moon.
And then comes 2028—the “Big One”, Artemis IV. This is the mission that will carry astronauts to the Moon’s south pole, where water has been detected. The goal of that mission will be not just to visit the moon, but to establish a presence—perhaps even build a structure that could eventually serve as a launch point for missions to Mars. Other countries are also involved, including China, the European Space Agency (ESA)—with nations such as France, Germany, and Italy—as well as Japan, India, and Russia. Private companies are in the mix as well. Some of these countries are working with NASA, while others are competing. But as Victor Glover said, “This global interest is a way to unite humanity, even if there is some healthy competition between nations.”
We’ll leave you with another quote from Victor Glover. While in space, he said, “You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos…in all this emptiness…you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together.”
That gives us Moon joy!
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