From Apollo’s last step to Artemis’ next leap: Why humanity is only now returning to the Moon

More than half a century after astronauts last walked on the Moon, humanity is finally preparing to return through NASA’s Artemis programme. The upcoming Artemis II mission will send astronauts around the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar voyage since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.  

The long gap between the Apollo era and today’s renewed push toward the Moon raises a striking question: why did it take so long for humans to go back? The answer lies in a mix of politics, economics, technological shifts and changing priorities in space exploration.  

End of the Moon race  

The original push to reach the Moon was largely driven by geopolitical rivalry. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed intensely in space to demonstrate technological superiority.  

When Apollo 11 successfully landed astronauts on the Moon in 1969, the United States effectively achieved its strategic goal. After several additional missions, political enthusiasm and funding for lunar exploration began to decline.  

Without the urgency of the space race, there was little incentive to continue sending astronauts to the Moon.  

A sharp drop in funding  

During the peak of Apollo, NASA received more than 4 percent of the US federal budget — an extraordinary level of funding that made the Moon landings possible.  

But after the early 1970s, NASA’s budget shrank dramatically. Maintaining frequent lunar missions would have required sustained investment on the scale of Apollo, something policymakers were no longer willing to support.  

As a result, large-scale human missions beyond Earth orbit were shelved for decades.  

Shift toward Earth orbit missions  

Instead of deep-space exploration, the US focused on missions closer to home. The development of the Space Shuttle program became the centrepiece of human spaceflight.  

The shuttle was designed to carry satellites, conduct scientific experiments and build orbital infrastructure. Later, international cooperation produced the International Space Station, which kept astronauts busy in low-Earth orbit for decades.  

These programmes absorbed much of the funding and engineering effort that might otherwise have gone toward returning to the Moon.  

Rebuilding lost capabilities  

Another challenge is that the infrastructure used during Apollo was largely dismantled after the programme ended. Factories, engineering teams and supply chains built for the Saturn rockets disappeared over time.

Modern missions therefore require building new systems from scratch, including the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.  

Developing such complex technology takes years of testing, redesign and funding approvals, which has contributed to the long delay.  

A new purpose for the Moon  

The current return to the Moon is driven by a different vision. Rather than short visits like those during Apollo, NASA’s Artemis program aims to establish a sustained presence near the lunar south pole, where scientists believe water ice may exist.  

The Moon is now viewed as a training ground for future deep-space exploration — including eventual missions to Mars.  

If Artemis II succeeds, it will pave the way for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon later this decade. The mission would mark the first human landing since Apollo 17 in 1972 — ending one of the longest gaps in the history of human space exploration.