More than half a century later, NASA's Artemis II mission will send humans around the moon again in early 2026 , this time deliberately. But the strategy going into Artemis II looks very different from that of 1970. Artemis II also serves as a bridge to Artemis III , the mission where NASA plans to land astronauts near the moon's south pole , currently targeted for 2028. A new executive order affirms federal support for sustained lunar operations, as well as commercial participation and coordination across agencies. It does, however, illustrate the American model of space activity built on coalitions, transparency and shared expectations.