Kennedy Space Center:NASA is rapidly advancing its plans to establish a moon base and return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028, as announced by Administrator Jared Isaacman.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, NASA is on schedule to launch Artemis III next summer, a mission that will involve docking exercises with lunar landers developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. This mission will include four astronauts and will remain in Earth’s orbit, without landing on the moon.
The Artemis IV mission is set to mark NASA’s first moon landing by astronauts since the Apollo era and is scheduled for 2028. This announcement follows the successful Artemis II mission, which saw astronauts orbit the moon for the first time in over fifty years. NASA has yet to decide between SpaceX and Blue Origin for the lunar lander for Artemis IV.
Isaacman highlighted the competitive nature of the current “space race” with China, compared to the past rivalry with the Soviet Union. He noted that NASA is accelerating its efforts by reducing bureaucratic delays and collaborating with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to meet their ambitious deadlines.
Drawing inspiration from the Apollo program, Isaacman emphasized NASA’s capability to achieve rapid advancements based on historical successes. The upcoming Artemis III mission will involve three launches from Cape Canaveral and will include docking practices with lunar landers in Earth’s orbit.
NASA’s planned moon base will be located near the moon’s south pole, a departure from the Apollo missions’ equatorial sites. The base is expected to launch by the end of the year, with additional landers, rovers, and orbiters anticipated to follow. Initial astronauts will be equipped with a simpler spacesuit for initial moonwalks, while a more complex version is being developed for longer missions. Axiom Space will test these new suits on the International Space Station next year.