The NASA-led Artemis-3 mission will place the first human boots on the surface of the moon since Apollo 17's Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt left the lunar surface in December 1972.

The goal of the Artemis program is to establish a permanent human presence on Earth's natural satellite and an economy based around the moon. Artemis-3 is scheduled for no sooner than September 2026. However, further delays are likely and there are many technical challenges yet to overcome. Some might wonder whether it is going to happen at all.

I am convinced it will, because unlike the Apollo program, which would be unaffordable in today's climate, the current lunar endeavor will pay off in financial and exploration terms. Extracting water ice from craters at the lunar south pole could facilitate journeys from the moon to other destinations such as Mars, bringing down the cost of space exploration.

This is why the booming space industry seems fixed on the moon as a destination right now—countries simply cannot afford to miss this boat.