The global space agency also shared updated on its Artemis program, including the latest Phase 1 plans to land the first woman and the next man on the surface of the Moon in 2024.
What is Artemis Plan?
This new era of lunar exploration is called Artemis. Named after the twin sister of Apollo, she is the Goddess of the Moon. We will return to the Moon robotically beginning next year, send astronauts to the surface within four years, and build a long-term presence on the Moon by the end of the decade,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
As NASA has been fine-tuning the plan to achieve that bold vision since the president called on the agency in December 2017 to lead a human return to the Moon and beyond with commercial and international partners. NASA is implementing the Artemis program to achieve those goals, and this document lays out the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach explaining how we will do it.
As per the agency, the Moon plan is twofold: it’s focused on achieving the goal of an initial human landing by 2024 with acceptable technical risks, while simultaneously working toward sustainable lunar exploration in the mid- to late 2020s.
The Artemis program builds on a half-century of experience and preparation to establish a robust human-robotic presence on and around the Moon. With clear direction from the White House, coordination among the reestablished National Space Council, support in Congress, and partnership from industry and international partnerships, Artemis is a globally unifying endeavor.
What is the projected cost?
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine has mentioned "political risks" were often the biggest threat to NASA's work, especially before such a crucial election. As per the news agency AFP, the US Congress, which will witness elections on November 3, will have to clear the financing for a project that has been set by President Donald Trump as a top priority.
The $28 billion would cover the budgetary years of 2021-25.
If Congress approves the first tranche of $3.2 billion by Christmas, "we're still on track for a 2024 moon landing," Bridenstine added.
What are the different projects under the mission?
There are three different projects trying to build the lunar lander that will carry two astronauts -- one of them a woman -- to the Moon from their vessel Orion.
The first project is being developed by Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper. The other two projects are being undertaken by Elon Musk's SpaceX and by the company Dynetics.
The first flight, Artemis I, scheduled for November of 2021, will be unmanned: the new giant rocket SLS, currently in its test phase, will take off for the first time with the Orion capsule.
Artemis II, in 2023, will take astronauts around the Moon but will not land.
Finally, Artemis III will be the equivalent of Apollo 11 in 1969, but the stay on the Moon will last longer -- for a week -- and will include two to five "extravehicular activities."