The US space agency plans to send Americans to the moon in 2025, including the first women and the first person of color
The US space agency NASA plans to mine the Moon within the next decade, with the goal of excavating and building there by 2032. NASA plans to send Americans to the Moon again by 2025 with its Artemis mission, including the first women and the first person of color since Apollo 17 astronauts first landed on Earth's satellite in 1972. This mission aims to further explore the lunar surface, gather information for what the agency hopes will be a later trip to March.
"We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars," The Guardian quoted NASA's website as saying. regarding the Artemis mission.
Initially, NASA will look for ways to supply oxygen and water to the dry lunar surface. Later, the aim is to exploit its minerals, such as iron, from the explosions. This month, NASA will send a test mission into space with plans to dig up lunar soil, with the goal of building a processing plant by 2032.
"Literally, we are just scratching the surface of the Moon," said one of the NASA experts. Scientists hope to use the Artemis mission to expand commercial opportunities in space. Commercial companies are expected to be the first customers, using the Moon's resources for fuel.
The second phase of the Artemis mission will launch in 2024 when 4 astronauts will be sent on an 8-day mission around the moon, the first time astronauts will go around the moon since 1972. In April, NASA selected the 4 astronauts who would participate in the lunar mission.
Christina Koch, a mission specialist for the trip, will be the first woman ever to be sent on a lunar mission. As an engineer, Koch already holds the record for the longest continuous space flight by a woman. Victor Glover, a US Navy aviator, will be the first black American astronaut, as well as the first black astronaut on a lunar mission. Glover will serve as the pilot of Artemis II. The final two mission members include Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian ever selected for a mission to the Moon and mission specialist for Artemis II, and Reid Wiseman, Artemis II mission commander.