Congratulations to the Artemis II crew – but the case for sending astronauts into space is rapidly shrinking | Martin Rees and Donald Goldsmith

Soon, thanks to the advance of robots, the only reason left to send humans to the moon will be as an ultra-expensive sport

• Martin Rees is the astronomer royal and a former president of the Royal Society; Donald Goldsmith is an astrophysicist and science communicator

The 2020s has seen a revival of the “https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/30/moon-landing-lunar-mission-return-visit">Apollo spirit”.

The US and China are seemingly https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/world/asia/china-space-moon-nasa-artemis.html">in a race to send humans to the moon by the end of the decade – and thereafter, perhaps, even to Mars.

Nasa astronauts have just returned from a 10-day journey looping around the moon.

Although they arrived back safely, Nasa accepts that the lack of data makes it impossible to quantify the risks involved – this represents only the second launch for the Artemis system and the first to carry astronauts.

To date, estimated expenditures on the Artemis programme are close to $100bn (£75bn).

The “one big beautiful bill” that the US Congress passed in July 2025 https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-sets-the-stage-for-nasas-return-to-the-moon/">allocates $9.9bn for the Artemis IV and V missions.

Still greater expenditures are envisioned for a well-developed lunar base.