The next era of human space exploration won’t begin on the Moon. It’s already being built in Hampton Roads.
As NASA prepares for Artemis II, the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years, engineers at NASA Langley are working on challenges that determine not just whether astronauts can get there, but whether humans can stay. Inside Langley’s MacroLab, that future is taking shape through full-scale testing and autonomous systems. As aerospace engineer Jessica Friz explains, “all of the projects that you’re seeing behind me are demonstrations of full scale robotic autonomous in space assembly of critical structures that we need to help send people safely to the moon and Mars.”
That work signals a shift beyond historic first steps. Friz points out that while Apollo was about putting boots on the ground, her team is focused on something more enduring. “We’re not just getting boots on the ground. We’re getting them on the ground to stay and survive and thrive long term.” The technologies being developed in Hampton Roads are meant to support sustained lunar operations, future missions to Mars, and eventually human life beyond Earth.
This long-term thinking is part of what defines the region’s role in innovation. From Friz’s perspective, “at least here at NASA and Hampton Roads, we have so many advantages in the field of space technology development, in hypersonics, in systems analysis, the kinds of things we have to do to think ahead of time, how do we send people to the moon and Mars, what are all the pieces we have to put in place.”
While Artemis II will capture public attention with its launch and lunar flyby, its broader significance lies in what it enables next. Research engineer Olivia Tyrrell, whose work focuses on future lunar exploration, describes the moment as “really surreal,” explaining how exciting it is to work at NASA during this period and to see family and friends energized by what space exploration can unlock.
For Tyrrell, Artemis II is not just a milestone, but a foundation. Her work is tied to “future lunar exploration and sort of what could come next with, you know, a more sustained lunar presence,” focusing on how NASA plans ahead and mitigates risk so exploration can continue well beyond a single mission. That forward-looking mindset reflects a future she describes as “bright,” and one she’s excited to help shape.
Together, their work reflects a broader truth about the region. NASA Langley’s presence in Hampton Roads spans aeronautics, space technology, and exploration, touching “a variety of technical topics that are necessary to help Americans thrive here on the ground, here in the air, and out in space.”
Artemis II may orbit the Moon, but its foundation is being built in Hampton Roads, by teams designing not just the next mission, but the future of human exploration.
