Artemis II: Our expert analyses the launch
April 2, 2026
The Economist
The Economist’s planetary affairs expert analyses the launch of Artemis II. Oliver Morton, The Economist’s senior editor and author of “The Moon: A History for the Future” and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss why humans are heading back to the Moon, the new space race and how future Moon bases could reshape science, industry and exploration of space.
01:11 – What is Artemis II? 03:26 – What comes next after Artemis II? 04:27 – What is the point of building a Moon base? 05:16 – Why go back to the Moon at all? 06:12 – America v China - Is this a new space race? 06:47 – Can NASA actually deliver on its plans? 07:32 – What does America have to gain from Artemis II? Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3O6drAq NASA’s Moon-base plans mark a rethinking of its future: https://econ.st/4chdzGF Subscribe: https://www.economist.com/subscribe Download the App: https://www.economist.com/get-the-app Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/ X:https://x.com/TheEconomist #TheEconomist #artemis2 #Moon
The Economist
Coverage and analysis from United Kingdom. All insights are generated by our AI narrative analysis engine.