Artemis mission

Artemis

The lunar lander Lancea detaches from the command module Novus-4 to carry its crew to the lunar surface.
Mission type	Crewed lunar landing
Operator	Natkosma [estmere] [gaullica] [valduvia] [werania]
COSPAR ID	CSM: 1975-017A LM: 1975-017D
SATCAT no.	9617
Mission duration	8 days, 23 hours, 36 minutes, 46 seconds
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Novus-4: Sichka CA-17 Lancea: Marite II Aquila: Redoubt A4
Manufacturer	Novus-4: MPzVP / Natkosma Lancea: Rietbaznīca 17 Aquila: Mullins-Douard
Launch mass	55,172 kg (121,633 lbs)
Landing mass	7,710 kg (16,998 lbs)
Crew
Crew size	5
Members	Viktor Matvyenko Template:Country data Estmere Kevin Thornton Jean-Claude Darche Auseklis Landmanis Jörn Scheiner
EVAs	4 on lunar surface
Start of mission
Launch date	June 18, 1975, 07:18:00 UTC
Rocket	Aquila (Redoubt A4)
Launch site	Myensk Cosmodrome
End of mission
Recovered by	Soravian frigate Volodymorya
Landing date	June 27, 1975, 05:34:19 UTC
Landing site	Lumine Ocean 15.24°N 150.02°W

The Artemis mission was the name of the collaborative crewed lunar landing mission between Soravia, Estmere, Gaullica, Valduvia and Werania that put the first humans on the moon between June 18 and June 27, 1975. Cosmonauts Viktor Matvyenko, Kevin Thornton, Jean-Claude Darche, and Auseklis Landmanis successfully completed a spacewalk on the lunar surface, conducting various scientific activities, while Jörn Scheiner piloted the command module Novus-4 in selenocentric orbit for the duration of the mission. The name was chosen after Artemis, the ancient Piraean god of the wilderness.

Attempts to carry out a successful crewed lunar landing were first designed by Soravia's Natkosma, whose series of Horyzont missions attempted to test the feasibility of safely landing a crewed spacecraft on the lunar surface. Discussions on a collaborative mission coincided with an era of détente between the east, west and north. Plans were agreed in Samistopol in 1970 between Soravia, Estmere and Werania, but Gaullica and Valduvia joined the project later in 1971. The launch location in Kingsport was chosen in 1973 for its relative proximity to the equator.

The mission was globally televised to hundreds of millions, with Matvyenko exiting Lancea first and thus becoming the first man on the moon. The participating cosmonauts collected various samples of lunar soil and conducted various experiments on the surface. The crew left the lunar surface after just under nine days, and splashed down in the Lumine Ocean on the morning of June 27. The Soravian frigate Volodymorya transported the crew back to Samistopol where the mission control was located.

Artemis has since been hailed as the pinnacle of human cooperation, and has often been cited as one of the greatest feats in human history. Soravian president Aleksander Shelyapin referred to it as "humanity's proudest moment", while Estmerish prime minister Peter Morrison hailed a "new era of co-operation and internationalism".