Artemis II, a return to the Moon between science and geopolitics

Translated by Martina Ravasi

The humankind is drawing its attention to the Moon again, although with different goals and protagonists comparing to the past. Earlier April 2026, the United States launched the Artemis II mission, thus opening a new chapter of space explorations. At the same time, the US is relaunching an increasingly more evident international competition.

Four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – orbited the Moon in 10 days on board of the Orion capsule. This wasn’t a mere moon landing, but a crucial test aiming to check systems performance in real deep-space conditions at distances from Earth never reached by the humankind in the last 50 years.

This mission is the first concrete step of the Artemis program. Through Artemis, NASA aims to bring the humankind back to the Moon by the end of the decade. However, Artemis II is even more than a simple technical test. Indeed, it’s the signal of a wider change concerning the role of space in international politics. While during the Cold War the scramble for the Moon was a challenge between two superpowers, today our framework is more complex. The US are leading the Artemis program involving some of their partners – such as Canada and the EU, while China is developing its own project with analogue ambitions. In addition to this, there is an increasing presence of private actors, who contribute to reshape balance and strategies.

Therefore, the Moon is once again becoming a core interest going beyond the scientific one. Indeed, the cislunar space is increasingly considered more strategic both for technological opportunities and potential resources. Against this background, cooperation and competition coexist. On one hand we have shared missions, and on the other hand the need for all powers to reaffirm their presence.

Under a human point of view, Artemis II also drew the attention to astronauts’ experience. The pictures and tales coming from the mission gave us a familiar and powerful perspective, namely the Moon seen from the space, which is fragile and isolated. This aspect keeps attracting the attention of the public opinion as well as reinforcing the symbolic value of these missions.

Under a technical point of view, this journey provided us with crucial indicators. Indeed, the systems of the Orion capsule were quite reliable, in spite of small critical issues that will be analysed in the following steps. Indeed, the real objective is Artemis III, the mission that will bring astronauts back to the moon surface for the first time since 1972.

Therefore, Artemis II is a transition phase. It still isn’t a return to the Moon, but it’s a fundamental step in order to do so. At the same time, it’s a clear signal of the fact that space explorations are now getting back to be a global priority. Artemis II is the symbol of a new area where the Moon isn’t a mere destination to be reached, but an area where it’s possible to live, study and, inevitably, compete.

Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2026