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.

Four astronauts are preparing for their journey around the moon.

The moon is about to welcome its first woman, first person of color and first non-American.