The novel “The Relentless Moon” by Mary Robinette Kowal was published for the first time in 2020. It’s the third novel in the Lady Astronaut series and follows “The Fated Sky”.

While an expedition is on its way to Mars, the situation on Earth continues to worsen. The ongoing ecological catastrophe is causing increasingly extreme weather events and many people are afraid of being abandoned to their fate, adding to the social and political chaos.

The space program continues to be developed by the International Aerospace Coalition but the increase in accidents leads to suspicions of sabotage. Nicole Wargin is sent to the Artemis Moon base but she and the rest of the spaceship’s crew barely manage to get to the Moon alive. Her situation is more complex because her husband Kenneth is the Governor of Kansas and this puts her under even more scrutiny than her fellow astronauts.