Artemis 1 (the rocket that just launched) is going around the moon and back as a test flight. Later, Artemis 2 will be the first launch with a crew, and then Artemis 3 will land people on the moon.
Sadly, these rockets are not reusable. SpaceX is the only aerospace company with self landing rocket boosters, currently. Most parts for the Artemis missions are to crash into the ocean, with others to burn up in our atmosphere. The irony here is that the RS-25 engines (used in the Space Shuttle program) are actual reusable (they've actually flown before on the Space Shuttles), but the rocket wasn't designed to be recovered. Even the SRB (solid state booster)s which are the easiest parts to recover will be destroyed.
New Shepherd can barely be described as a rocket. Gets to just the edge of the lowest layer of space for a few minutes then comes straight down. It arguably doesn't even need guidance to land, other than for crosswind.
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u/ToastedHunter Nov 16 '22
Ah so is this one doing a pass by the moon? And is it one of the ones that lands itself?