Overview:
More than half a century after Apollo transformed our understanding of what humanity could achieve, NASA’s Artemis Program is opening the next chapter of exploration
“Houston, we have a problem!”
Few words in history are as instantly recognizable as that iconic phrase from Apollo 13. For many of us, long before we understood rockets, spacecraft, or astronauts, those words became our first connection to NASA. They reminded the world that space exploration is not only about extraordinary triumphs, but also about resilience, ingenuity, teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of solutions when the stakes could not be higher.
Little did I know that years later, my own journey would lead me to Houston, not because there was a problem, but because thousands of remarkable people come here every day with one shared purpose: to solve problems long before astronauts ever have to utter those famous words.
The Artemis Program
Today, those hallways are once again making history! More than half a century after Apollo transformed our understanding of what humanity could achieve, NASA’s Artemis Program is opening the next chapter of exploration. Apollo proved that we could reach the Moon. Artemis asks a far more ambitious question: how do we stay? How do we build a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon, and use everything we learn there to prepare for humanity’s first journey to Mars?
More than just a celestial object
When I was growing up in India, the Moon was never just a celestial object. It was woven into our stories, our poetry, our festivals, and our childhood imagination. Like millions of children, I would look up at the night sky with endless curiosity, never imagining that one day I would help contribute to the spacecraft systems that would carry humanity back to it.
Orion Spacecraft
Today I have the privilege of serving as a Systems Engineering Manager for NASA’s Orion spacecraft. Orion is the vehicle carrying astronauts farther from Earth than any human spacecraft has traveled in generations. My work helps ensure Orion is ready for the demanding realities of deep space, including protecting critical spacecraft systems from electromagnetic energy encountered both within the vehicle and throughout the harsh environment of space. More importantly, my role is about connecting people and engineering disciplines so that thousands of individual decisions become one safe, reliable spacecraft.
The public often remembers the launch. We remember the years that make the launch possible. Every successful mission begins in design reviews, simulations, integration tests, and countless technical discussions where engineers challenge one another’s assumptions in pursuit of a safer vehicle. Systems engineering has taught me that extraordinary exploration is never the work of one brilliant individual. It is the work of extraordinary teams!
“Go” or “No-Go”!
One of the most unforgettable experiences of my career is supporting launch operations. As the countdown progresses, every engineering discipline evaluates whether its systems are ready for flight. Within my technical responsibility, our team contributes to the engineering recommendation supporting the “Go” or “No-Go” decision. Behind that single word, “Go”, are years of analysis, testing, collaboration, and responsibility. In that moment, every engineer shares one common goal: bringing astronauts home safely.
Imagineering
Perhaps the greatest surprise of my Artemis journey has had little to do with engineering itself. Growing up, I believed science explained reality while imagination created dreams! Working on Artemis has taught me they have always been partners. Every spacecraft begins with imagination. Someone first imagined humans returning to the Moon. Someone imagined living and working there. Someone imagined using the Moon as humanity’s proving ground for Mars. Engineering simply gives imagination a way to become reality!
Watching the Artemis II mission unfold was one of the proudest moments of my career. Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen carried the hopes of thousands of engineers, scientists, technicians, and mission specialists as Orion carried them around the Moon.
One of my favorite memories came when Orion sent back its first breathtaking glimpse of the lunar surface. During the mission, I spent most of my time in NASA’s Mission Evaluation Room (MER), seated at my console alongside an extraordinary team of engineers, each responsible for monitoring a different aspect of the spacecraft’s health and performance. The room was filled with an incredible mix of focus, anticipation, and quiet confidence. Every screen, every headset, every conversation reflected years of preparation, all converging into a few unforgettable moments.
“Moonjoy”
Inside Mission Control, there was a phrase that perfectly captured what we were all feeling: “Moonjoy.” It’s a simple word, but it says so much! As those first images of the Moon appeared, the atmosphere in the room changed almost instantly. Years of engineering, countless simulations, design reviews, technical debates, and long hours of testing suddenly gave way to something wonderful, human, pure joy. You could feel it all around you. There were smiles that didn’t need words, proud glances exchanged across the room, and a shared realization that we were witnessing history unfold in real time.
For a few precious moments, none of us were thinking about requirements, analyses, or test reports. We were simply a room full of people who had poured years of their lives into this mission, watching humanity return to the Moon. Sitting there among my fellow engineers, knowing that each of us had contributed a small piece to something far greater than ourselves, was both humbling and exhilarating. It is a feeling I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Seeing the crew successfully accomplish every mission objective and return safely was deeply emotional. For those of us who had spent years helping prepare Orion, it was validation that every review, every test, every debate, and every difficult decision had mattered. Artemis II wasn’t just the successful completion of a mission; it marked the beginning of a new era of exploration, reminding all of us why we chose to become engineers in the first place.
Artemis II is only the beginning
Yet, Artemis II is only the beginning. The missions ahead will return astronauts to the lunar surface while NASA and its commercial partners continue preparing the human landing systems that will carry crews from Orion in lunar orbit to the Moon and safely back again. Every mission teaches us how to live and work farther from Earth, bringing us closer to humanity’s next destination, Mars. The Moon is no longer the finish line; it is our next classroom!
Another lesson Artemis has taught me is what leadership truly means. NASA succeeds because people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives learn to solve difficult problems together. As more women step into technical and leadership roles, collaboration, empathy, curiosity, and inclusion have become defining strengths of many engineering teams.
Humanity’s next launchpad!
Sometimes I pause as I walk past Orion and think about the child I once was, looking up at the Moon from India. Back then, it felt impossibly distant. Today, I see it differently.
The Moon is no longer the destination; it is humanity’s next launchpad!
It begins with curiosity!
And perhaps that is the greatest lesson Artemis has taught me: every giant leap begins exactly the same way, with someone looking up at the night sky and asking, “What if?”
It begins with curiosity. It grows through imagination. Together, we build the future!
