SLS cannot get from the ground to the moon and back with just the one rocket. Orion is too heavy to land and return from the Moon. That's why the plan, even before Starship's involvement, was to transfer from Orion to the lander in lunar orbit, either directly or via the Lunar Gateway spacestation.
I understand it didn’t land on the moon but it flew to the moon and back (which is what my comment was saying) in 2021. The mission wasn’t perfect but their half of Artemis was demonstrated. Starship has not yet shown to be capable of completing its half.
Artemis 2 and 3 should be delayed until NASA can fix their shit.
> The mission wasn’t perfect but their half of Artemis was demonstrated.
Sort of.
The first fully functional Orion will be debuted on Artemis III. As an example of the differences, the Artemis I Orion didn't have functional life support systems. And the Artemis II Orion won't be able to dock with anything.
SLS does not fly "to the moon". To put it simply, it flies near the moon and back. Saying it flies "to the moon" it like saying that getting on a plane that flies over Orlando FL, lets you take pictures out the window, and then flies back home to your starting airport is "going to Disney World".
