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NASA's next moon program Artemis takes flight next week. What sets this program apart from the Apollo missions?

The mobile launcher with NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 to Launch Complex 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
NASA/Ben Smegelsky
The mobile launcher with NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 to Launch Complex 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

In less than a week, NASA plans to launch its Artemis I mission on an uncrewed flight around the moon and back.

It’s the first time NASA is launching a space capsule designed to take humans to the moon since the Apollo program which aimed to beat the Soviets to the lunar surface in the 1960s. But this mission is much different than NASA’s last moonshot. We'll speak with University of Central Florida history professor Amy Foster about the differences in the programs.

Then, the Artemis program faces criticism for being behind schedule and over budget. Is it worth it? We catch up with space policy analyst Laura Forczyk to discuss the cost and anticipated returns of NASA's Artemis program.

Brendan Byrne is Central Florida Public Media's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing the organization's internship program.<br/><br/>Byrne also hosts Central Florida Public Media's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.