March 30 (Reuters) - NASA's Artemis program is the U.S. effort to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era and eventually establish a sustained human presence there, a goal Washington has framed as central to maintaining space leadership amid growing competition from China.

NASA is preparing to launch the first crew of astronauts toward the moon in over 53 years with its second Artemis mission, a key test flight in humanity's broader lunar goals.