The UK is playing a crucial part in a Nasa-led project that will pave the way for missions to the Moon and Mars, the exploration science manager at the country's space agency said.
Libby Jackson was speaking before Monday's launch of Artemis 1, an uncrewed test flight that will fly around and beyond the Moon.
The Artemis programme will be rolled out in stages, ultimately returning astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the first time in 50 years and paving the way for the eventual human exploration of the Red Planet.
“The horizon goal of exploring Mars has been there since the Apollo missions back in the 1970s and it is a goal that’s always been 30 to 40 years in the future. But the Artemis missions are starting to bring that closer,” said Ms Jackson.
“The robotic missions that we have seen go, including the Hope Mission, the Nasa missions, the European Space Agency missions, all of them are building our knowledge base that we need in order to send explorers to Mars, whether that’s robotic or human.”
The Artemis 1 mission will include the launch of the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will take the Nasa-built Orion capsule — made with European-built parts, including Orion’s engines — towards the Moon.
The mission aims to test the rocket and the spacecraft’s performance.
And the UK is a key player in the project, said Ms Jackson.
“The main involvement we have is through the Goonhilly Earth Station down in Cornwall. That will be tracking the Orion spacecraft after launch,” she said.
“But then there is the sort of really fun bit that it’s doing, which is, there are a number of Cubesats on board and they are going to be deployed in deep space out towards the Moon.
“And Goonhilly will be relaying the telemetry, providing commands, the services you need to fly a spacecraft.
“They are providing that service to some of those spacecraft. That’s the most direct part we are doing now.
“This is the start of this programme that will return humans to the Moon.”
Although the exploration of Mars is the ultimate aim, the Moon is worth exploring in its own right, added Ms Jackson.
“It’s a record of the solar system that we are a part of. By understanding the Moon, which came from the Earth, we understand the Earth’s past, but it can also help us to better understand and predict the Earth’s future,” she said.
If all goes well with Artemis 1, the project will advance to Artemis 2 and 3.
Artemis 2 will be a crewed flight that will travel beyond the Moon, taking humans farther than they have ever ventured in space before.
And, if all goes to plan, Artemis 3 will bring the first female astronaut and first astronaut of colour on the Moon, where they will spend a week conducting studies of the lunar surface in 2025.
In addition to its work on the Artemis, the UK is preparing for its first ever satellite launch later this year, which will take off from Cornwall.
“It will be the first time we have launched a spacecraft from UK soil,” Ms Jackson said.
“There are a number of space ports in the UK which are getting ready to do this. The UK has a thriving small satellite industry.
“And it will be of great benefit to them to be able to launch from the UK as well. So, we are excited by that launch coming up for Virgin Orbit and the others that will surely follow.”
