The goal of today’s moon mission is to send astronauts around the moon and have them return alive. It’s a test of life support systems. The long-term plan is to build a moon base where we can mine moon materials, advance science, and test things for Mars missions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdYF4NpO3h0
The Space Race Never Ended
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy_H2BeE_Nk
China showcases lunar reach as space powers meet without Russia
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/moon-race-private-competition-focus-040555551.html
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/china-discovers-strange-glass-beads-170754694.html
https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/11/22/23473483/white-house-joe-biden-moon-artemis-permanent-outpost-spacex
“Eventually, NASA plans to turn the moon into a pit stop on a much more ambitious journey: a human mission to Mars. Right now, it seems like that could happen sometime in the late 2030s. But while many of these plans are still far out, it’s clear that the Artemis program is far more than a repeat of the Apollo program.”