Jasmine "Jazz" Bashara is a Saudi Arabian citizen who has lived in the lunar city of Artemis since she was six years old. She works as a porter and part-time smuggler, struggling to lift herself out of economic hardship while living in a cramped, jail-cell-sized "coffin" apartment in the Conrad bubble. Driven by a desire for wealth and independence, she frequently takes calculated risks to earn the lunar currency known as slugs. Her strained relationship with her father and past betrayals cause her to isolate herself from others.

Trond is a wealthy Norwegian telecommunications billionaire who relocated his family to Artemis to improve the quality of life for his paralyzed daughter. He lives in a massive estate with his live-in maid and conducts high-stakes corporate negotiations in sweatpants and bathrobes. He constantly seeks out underutilized resources to exploit, treating the lunar economy as a field for aggressive business expansion.

Ammar is a devoutly Muslim single father and a highly skilled master welder living on Artemis. He famously refuses to join the local Welders' Guild, prizing his independence and maintaining a strict, honorable business code. He carries a severe demeanor but harbors deep affection for his daughter, despite the painful loss of his original workshop in a fire caused by her past recklessness.

Fidelis Ngugi is the formidable administrator of the Artemis colony. She built the Kenya Space Corporation from the ground up, using tax breaks and incentives to secure billions in corporate funding for the lunar settlement. She treats the city's economy as a living organism and navigates global politics with aggressive pragmatism, working to keep any single corporation from monopolizing the moon.

Martin Svoboda is a Ukrainian scientist and electrical engineer working in an Artemis laboratory. He possesses brilliant technical skills but struggles with social interactions, often bringing up inappropriate topics with clumsy enthusiasm. He eagerly assists Jazz with analyzing strange materials and building custom hardware, happy for the opportunity to test his engineering boundaries.

Rudy is the sole sanctioned law enforcement officer and head of security on Artemis. A former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, he continues to wear his red uniform while patrolling the lunar colony. With no formal jail system, he frequently acts as judge and enforcer, utilizing physical intimidation to maintain order and protect the settlement from violent threats.

Dale is a practicing Jewish resident of Artemis and an active member of the extravehicular activity guild. He conducts surface tours and maintenance work outside the lunar bubbles. He deeply regrets betraying Jazz by sleeping with her boyfriend and continually seeks opportunities to earn back her friendship.

Bob is a former United States Marine and the head trainer of the extravehicular activity guild on Artemis. He enforces the colony's safety regulations with absolute rigidity, knowing that human error in space results in immediate death. He recognizes Jazz's natural talent but refuses to grant her certification until she learns discipline.

Kelvin is an Earth-based loadmaster-in-training for the Kenya Space Corporation. He has been Jazz's pen pal since elementary school, and their correspondence chronicles their respective struggles with poverty and ambition. Working from Kenya, he acts as Jazz's reliable off-world partner in moving contraband onto the moon.

Lene is the daughter of wealthy businessman Trond Landvik. Following a severe car accident on Earth that paralyzed her and killed her mother, she relocated to Artemis. The moon's one-sixth gravity allows her to move with greater independence, making the lunar city a physical sanctuary for her.

Jin Chu is a corporate representative visiting Artemis from Hong Kong. He stays at the Canton Artemis hotel to enjoy familiar cultural comforts while attempting to finalize a high-stakes telecommunications deal. He is nervous, opportunistic, and willing to prioritize his own safety and profit over loyalty.

Marcelo Alvarez is a grizzled, dangerous operative working to secure corporate interests on the moon. He operates outside of Artemis's standard laws, using physical force and intimidation to eliminate threats to his employers' economic expansion.

Loretta Sanchez manages the lunar operations for Sanchez Aluminum. She developed the proprietary method used to process lunar anorthite rocks into aluminum, a procedure that crucially supplies the Artemis colony with oxygen as a byproduct.

Zsoka is an industrial worker on Artemis and a colleague of Ammar Bashara. She holds strict, judgmental views about morality and relationships, but she remains pragmatic enough to rent out equipment for the right price.

Irina is the grumpy live-in housekeeper for Trond Landvik. She manages the day-to-day operations of his massive home in the wealthy Shepard bubble, handling deliveries and visitors for the billionaire.