The Artemis I mission blasted off at 1:47 a.m. ET. on Monday, marking the first time the United States has explored the moon in 50 years since the last Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Orion is designed to carry humans, but its passengers for this test mission are of the inanimate variety, including three mannequins collecting vital data to help future live crews. The Artemis program, with three launches, aims to return astronauts to the moon and establish a permanent base there in preparation for manned missions to Mars and more distant deep space exploration.
Moreover, if the launch is successful, NASA is expected to launch a manned space mission to orbit the moon with Artemis 2 as early as 2024, followed by Artemis 3 to the moon.
From CNN:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/16/world/artemis-1-launch-nasa-scn/index.html
NEW YORK — Kepler Communications is seeking permission to operate larger but significantly fewer satellites for its proposed data relay constellation, which would now use lasers instead of radio frequencies to connect low Earth orbit (LEO) customers.
Spacecraft designers and engineers from China and Brazil are working to develop a remote-sensing satellite that will obtain data and images for public services and economic development.
On November 15, Abdulrahman AlMazyad, Managing Director of Defense Sector at the Ministry of Investment, visited USPACE, bringing forth positive prospects for cooperation in the aerospace field between USPACE and Saudi Arabia.