Amy Shira Teitel says past Moon missions delivered a clear purpose and impact, while Artemis II lacks clarity, rationale, and a justifiable cost
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, February 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time in more than five decades, spaceflight historian Amy Shira Teitel is questioning the purpose, cost, and broader implications of the agency’s Artemis II mission, currently scheduled to launch no earlier than February 6, 2026.
“Why go to the Moon?” Teitel, who has spent more than 20 years studying the Apollo era, asks. “The cost associated with this flight is astronomical, and there is very little to gain from it. It feels more symbolic than substantive. Spaceflight needs stronger oversight. Apollo should be the exception, not the rule.”
Artemis II will be the second flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft. The mission will send astronauts on a lunar flyby, making it the first crewed journey to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II will not land on the Moon; it will fly around the Moon’s farside before returning to Earth.
While NASA has described Artemis II as a key step toward sustained lunar exploration, Teitel argues that the program as a whole lacks a compelling justification in today’s scientific, economic, and environmental context. She notes that large-scale space exploration programs benefit from clear objectives and measurable outcomes in order to maintain public trust and long-term support.
Teitel also says the Artemis program does not generate the same urgency or public inspiration as the Apollo missions of the 1960s.
“Apollo was an expression of the Cold War, spurred on to fulfill Kennedy’s mandate after his death. It had a hugely compelling reason to go,” she says. “We don’t have that same need now, and we know how hard, dangerous, and expensive space is. Going for the sake of going doesn’t make sense. Going to fast-track a landing on Mars makes less sense.”
She further raises concerns about the focus of human missions to the Moon and Mars over urgently needed Earth science missions.
Teitel notes that this is not the first time we’ve been at the starting line of a Mars program, though this is the first time a program is seeing a crewed flight. The initial Space Shuttle proposal in 1969, the Space Exploration Initiative that began in 1989, and the Constellation program that began in 2004 and led to Artemis all promised a Mars landing within 10–20 years. “We’ve seen programs fall apart over cost. Artemis has been consistently overbudget, and funding has come from paring back interesting and essential science missions,” Teitel notes. “The way the program is structured, it’s not clear that this is laying the right foundation for a lasting deep space presence.”
According to Teitel, the current political and economic landscape gives this mission an interesting historical comparison with Apollo 8, though she questions whether it will have the same impact.
In conjunction with the upcoming Artemis II mission, Teitel is producing a new video examining the program’s goals, costs, and broader implications. The video debuted on Nebula, marking her first release on the platform, and is now live on her YouTube channel. She explores whether humanity’s return to the Moon represents meaningful progress or misplaced priorities.
To watch on YouTube, click here: https://youtu.be/Yd_PrgsoMbQ
About Amy Shira Teitel
Amy Shira Teitel is a science communicator, historian, author, and video creator specializing in the history of spaceflight, science, and technology. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History of Science and Technology and Classics and a Master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies. Teitel is the creator of The Vintage Space and the author of Breaking the Chains of Gravity and Fighting for Space.
Teitel is available for interviews.
For more information on Amy Shira Teitel and her historical works, click here:
https://www.amyshirateitel.com/home.html
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