The moon seen from the Orion spacecraft of NASA's Artemis mission

© NAS

Celebrating our looming lunar neighbour. International Moon Day

International Moon Day, celebrated on July 20, commemorates the day when humans first set foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. It serves as a global recognition of the remarkable achievement of lunar exploration and highlights humanity's ongoing scientific and technological advancements related to the Moon. The Orion spacecraft we see here, developed by NASA, is a true testament to such advancements. Designed for deep space exploration, Orion performed an uncrewed orbit in 2022. It will carry a crewed orbit in 2024 and is planned to return astronauts to the Moon's surface in 2025. NASA hopes that these flights, along with events like International Moon Day, will encourage public engagement, education and awareness about the Moon's significance, its influence on Earth, and the potential for future space exploration and colonisation.