NASA will continue to prepare for human missions to the moon and Mars as part of the agency’s Artemis programme, NASA official Jim Bridenstine said Thursday.
“NASA’s mission continues during this time,” Bridenstine said on Twitter. “We are proud to share our vision for sustainability at the Moon after 2024 and how #Artemis prepares us for Mars.”
The programme aims to have US astronauts again land on the Moon by 2024 with an eye towards eventually sending them to Mars.
The mission would mark more than 50 years since humans last went into lunar orbit, reported DPA.
“After 20 years of continuously living in low-Earth orbit, we’re now ready for the next great challenge of space exploration – the development of a sustained presence on and around the Moon,” Bridenstine told the agency website nasa.gov.
“For years to come, Artemis will serve as our North Star as we continue to work toward even greater exploration of the Moon, where we will demonstrate key elements needed for the first human mission to Mars.”
NASA said mobility was the “core element” needed for astronauts to have a sustained presence on the moon. The agency aims to introduce a lunar terrain vehicle.
Designed to be fully habitable, the vehicle that would enable crews to take trips across the Moon lasting up to 45 days. For shorter stays, a lunar foundation surface habitat would house as many as four crew members.
The Artemis programme aims to use the Moon as a testbed for crewed exploration farther into the solar system.
