Nasa’s Artemis writes a new chapter in space programmes

Getting ready to take mankind back to the Moon by 2024, Nasa has unveiled a logo for the Artemis project, with the objective to send the first humans to Mars. As a tribute to the space organisation’s history and the Moon landing’s 50th anniversary, the new logo incorporates the same stylised ‘A’ from the Apollo programme and is brimming with symbolism.

Artemis, the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, is also the twin of the Apollo space programme. It draws from the original moon mission to build its narrative, while establishing a new direction for the future of space travel. The logo is reminiscent of the historic program, yet mirrors the original mission patch with a different trajectory from a symbolic Earth to space.

The Artemis project’s logo demonstrates Nasa’s care and respect for its past, while showcasing ambition and drive for the future of space missions. The design is straightforward at first glance, but it provides further depth and an original concept. Nasa’s passion shines through the Artemis logo, in which the symbolism begins with its colours: Earth blue, rocket red and lunar silver.

In Greek mythology, Artemis was the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The letter ‘A’ represents an arrowhead to symbolise launch, germinating from a crescent Earth to depict space missions from humanity’s perspective. A red trajectory moves from Earth through the crossbar of the ‘A’ and lands on the moon, seen as a stepping stone to taking humans to Mars. The colour of the trajectory symbolises the red planet.

The red ribbon moves from left to right through the ‘A,’ opposite to the one in the original Apollo program logo. The choice highlights the distinct differences in Nasa’s return to the moon, drawing a line that pierces through past and future alike.

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