The Intelligence from The Economist Over the moon: Artemis II launches
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Apr 2, 2026 
Gabriel Crossley, Beijing-based China correspondent who reports on influencer officials. Deena Mousa, science writer focused on AI and medicine. Oliver Morton, planetary affairs editor and moon expert. They narrate Artemis II’s launch and lunar goals. They unpack LLMs’ poor performance in non-English medical settings. They examine China’s short-video officials and why they go viral.
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Artemis II Demonstrates Deep Space Capability
- Artemis II is the first crewed flight of NASA's new heavy launcher and will loop the Moon before returning to Earth on about day 10.
- Oliver Morton explains it leaves low Earth orbit, performs a figure-eight around the Moon, and will splash down near San Diego on re-entry.
Artemis Is A Stepped Path To A Moonbase
- The Artemis program is incremental: Artemis II validates systems for later missions that will dock with a lunar lander and attempt surface landings on Artemis 4 and beyond.
- Oliver Morton says Artemis 3 and 4 build on this mission toward a sustained presence and a moonbase goal set in 2017.
China's Moon Program Accelerates US Urgency
- Renewed urgency for the moon partly stems from China's accelerating lunar program and declared ambition to put people on the Moon by 2030.
- Morton argues competition and national prestige pushed NASA to speed up efforts under a new administrator.