Artemis I was the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in 2022.
The uncrewed mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on November 16, 2022. Its purpose was to test the combined launch vehicle, spacecraft, ground systems, and mission operations before astronauts flew aboard later Artemis missions.
Orion traveled beyond the Moon, entered a distant retrograde orbit, and returned to Earth after a 25-day mission. It set a record for the farthest distance reached by a spacecraft designed to carry humans, traveling more than 430,000 kilometers from Earth.
Artemis I splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022. Artemis II is the planned crewed lunar flyby mission, while Artemis III is intended to carry astronauts to the lunar surface. Artemis I was previously known as Exploration Mission-1 during development.