NASA CEO Jim Brydenstein hopes that astronauts will return to the moon by 2028
NASA is accelerating plans for the return of Americans to the moon. In addition, the agency plans this time to gain a foothold there for a long time. On February 14, NASA administrator Jim Brydenstein announced his intention to work with private companies to speed up the process. Ideally, he hopes to carry out his plans by 2028.
He also said that it would not be a one-time flight. America will no longer set the flag and say goodbye for 50 years. The United States hopes to create a stable base to which astronauts can regularly fly.
The last on the moon was Eugene Cernan in December 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission. Before re-sending people, NASA is going to land an unmanned vehicle in 2024. To design the probe, the agency accepts applications from the private sector. The deadline for applications is March 25, and the first selection was set for May. NASA's accelerated pace is concretizing the Space Policy Directive, signed by Donald Trump in December 2017. It provides for a return to the moon before manned missions to Mars (2030s).
By 2026 it is planned to create a small Gateway space station in lunar orbit. It will be an intermediate point for flights to the surface of the Earth’s satellite and back. However, it will not be a permanent crew, as the ISS.
NASA is open to collaboration with other countries that provide the necessary elements, such as modules or vehicles. Competition is important because it reduces the cost. It is also planned in 2020 to deliver scientific instruments and other technological equipment to the moon.
