NASA plans moon base and targets 2028 astronaut lunar landing

NASA is moving quickly to build a lunar base and return astronauts to the moon within two years, Phys.org Space reported. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced on Friday that the space agency remains on track to launch the uncrewed and crewed elements supporting its lunar goals, adopting an urgency reminiscent of the Apollo program. [1][2][3][4]

The upcoming Artemis III mission is scheduled to launch next summer, according to Phys.org Space. The two-week crewed mission will carry four astronauts into Earth orbit for a docking exercise featuring lunar landers developed by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. The spacecraft will not travel to the moon during this test. [1]

Phys.org Space reported that NASA targets 2028 for Artemis IV, which will mark the agency's first crewed moon landing since the Apollo program. The announcement follows six months after four astronauts successfully completed the Artemis II flight around the moon. [1]

The original Apollo program utilized the Saturn family of rockets, which were developed by a team led by Wernher von Braun to launch heavy payloads into Earth orbit and beyond, using liquid hydrogen fuel in their upper stages. [5]