# Lunar South Pole

Orion’s Trial by Fire: The Return of Artemis II and the New Race for the Moon

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully concluded with a splashdown near San Diego, validating the Orion capsule's heat shield and breaking distance records for human flight. Despite minor technical glitches and significant budget reallocations from scientific research to human exploration, the mission clears the path for a crewed lunar landing by 2028.