Like the US, China is seeking allies to boost its lunar ambitions. Russia, South Africa, Pakistan, Egypt, Serbia, Belarus and Azerbaijan are among the countries that have backed its plan for an international lunar research station. China also has said it wants to launch crewed missions to Mars and build a permanently inhabited base there.

NASA's Artemis II will send four astronauts to circle the moon without landing on it. The mission will set the stage for a human moon landing in 2028.

NASA's Artemis 2 mission will send astronauts around the moon, paving the way for future lunar landings. See how it compares to Apollo 8.

It’s a historic day for the crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission, as they are set to travel farther from Earth than any humans before them and circle the moon.

The four astronauts who flew in Nasa's Artemis II mission around the Moon have splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. They are now recovering from a journey that took them further from Earth than any humans in history.