The Greek goddess who gives her name to NASA’s lunar-return program is Artemis.
In Greek mythology, Artemis is associated with the Moon, hunting, wilderness, and childbirth. NASA chose her name for the Artemis program as a symbolic successor to Apollo, the program that first landed humans on the Moon. Artemis was Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, making the pairing especially deliberate.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface, develop a sustained human presence around and on the Moon, and use the Moon as a proving ground for later crewed missions to Mars. The program emphasizes the lunar south pole, where permanently shadowed regions may contain accessible water ice.
Artemis should not be confused with Selene, another Greek lunar figure whose name is more directly linked to the Moon itself. Hera is associated with marriage and queenship, while Athena is associated with wisdom and warfare. The name therefore combines mythological symbolism with NASA’s goal of building on Apollo’s legacy rather than simply repeating it.