MISSION TIMELINE

From Artemis program start through permanent lunar settlement

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C:\MOON\TIMELINE> summary --all

COMPLETED MILESTONES: 3 major missions

IN PROGRESS: 4 active programs

PLANNED MISSIONS: 4 settlement phases

TARGET PERMANENT OCCUPATION: 2028

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"We're going to make life multiplanetary. The Moon is the first step — a permanent base that proves humanity can live beyond Earth."

— Elon Musk, Starship Program Update

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// FOUNDATION_PHASE.DAT [2022-2024]

[ARTEMIS I - UNCREWED TEST FLIGHT]COMPLETED

NASA / SLS | Mission success

First flight of SLS rocket and Orion capsule. Uncrewed lunar flyby, 25-day mission. Validated heat shield for lunar return velocity entry. Foundation for all subsequent Artemis missions.

[STARSHIP IFT-1 THROUGH IFT-4]COMPLETED

SpaceX / Boca Chica | Iterative progress

Rapid test-fly-fix cadence. IFT-1 cleared launch tower. IFT-2 achieved stage separation. IFT-3 reached space. IFT-4 demonstrated controlled splashdowns of both stages.

[IM-1 NOVA-C LUNAR LANDING]COMPLETED

Intuitive Machines / NASA CLPS | Partial success

First commercial lunar landing (February 2024). Tipped on side but maintained communications. Proved commercial delivery model viable. Pathfinder for future cargo missions.

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// DEVELOPMENT_PHASE.DAT [2025-2026]

[STARSHIP IFT-5 THROUGH IFT-8]IN PROGRESS

SpaceX | Active flights

IFT-5 achieved first booster catch by Mechazilla. IFT-7 reached full orbital insertion. Current focus: rapid reusability demonstration and tanker variant qualification.

[ARTEMIS II - CREWED LUNAR FLYBY]UPCOMING

NASA / Orion | 4-person crew

First crewed Artemis mission. Wiseman, Koch, Glover, Hansen orbit the Moon without landing. Validates Orion life support for crew and deep space communication systems.

[ORBITAL REFUELING DEMONSTRATION]IN PROGRESS

SpaceX / NASA | Critical milestone

Ship-to-ship propellant transfer in LEO. Must demonstrate reliable cryogenic fluid transfer before any Starship can reach the Moon. Gate review for Artemis V HLS readiness.

[STARSHIP HLS UNCREWED LUNAR LANDING]PLANNED

SpaceX / NASA | Autonomous demo

First Starship to land on the Moon — uncrewed. Validates autonomous precision landing, surface power deployment, and communication relay establishment at Shackleton Crater.

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// SETTLEMENT_PHASE.DAT [2026-2030+]

[ARTEMIS V - FIRST CREWED SOUTH POLE LANDING]PLANNED 2026

NASA / SpaceX HLS | Historic landing

First humans at the lunar south pole. Crew of 2 descends in Starship HLS for 7-day surface stay. ISRU activation, EVA geology surveys, habitat site preparation begins.

[CARGO PRECURSOR MISSIONS C1-C6]PLANNED 2026-2027

SpaceX Cargo | 6 deliveries

Six uncrewed Starship cargo missions deliver: pressurized rovers, ISRU pilot plant, solar array field, habitat modules, regolith processing equipment, and medical supplies.

[PERMANENT OCCUPATION BEGINS]TARGET 2028

NASA / SpaceX / ESA / JAXA | 12-person crew

Continuous human presence established. 180-day crew rotations. Full ISRU operations producing water, oxygen, and propellant. Base declared operationally permanent.

[PHASE 3 - SETTLEMENT EXPANSION]TARGET 2030+

International Lunar Coalition | 24+ crew capacity

Regolith-printed habitat expansion. Agricultural greenhouse. Propellant depot enabling Mars transit refueling. Radio telescope on far side. Tourist and commercial access begins.

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// MASTER_TIMELINE.DAT

2022Artemis I uncrewed lunar flyby — SLS and Orion validated
2023SpaceX Starship IFT-1 and IFT-2 — launch tower cleared, stage separation
2024IM-1 first commercial lunar landing. Starship IFT-3/4 reach space, controlled reentry
2025Starship IFT-5 booster catch. IFT-7 orbital insertion. Orbital refueling demo begins
2026Artemis II crewed flyby. Starship HLS uncrewed lunar landing. Cargo missions C1-C3
2027Artemis V crewed south pole landing. Cargo missions C4-C6. ISRU activation
2028Permanent occupation begins — continuous human presence at Shackleton Crater
2029Full ISRU operations. Propellant production. Science dome operational
2030+Settlement expansion. Agricultural systems. Mars transit refueling. Commercial access
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// THE_VISION.TXT

The timeline from first test flight to permanent settlement spans less than a decade — an ambition unprecedented in the history of space exploration. Every milestone builds on the last: Starship reusability enables affordable launch cadence, which enables cargo pre-deployment, which enables habitat construction, which enables permanent human presence.

The critical path runs through orbital refueling. Until ship-to-ship propellant transfer is proven reliable, no Starship can reach the Moon with meaningful payload. Everything depends on solving this one engineering challenge.

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THE MOON AWAITS

C:\MOON\TIMELINE> █