The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States announced that it is preparing to send human beings to Mars in the 2040s, reported the Hispantv web portal.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson reported that the US government asked the space agency for a budget of 26 billion dollars in 2023, which is eight percent more than what the agency received last year; with the purpose of financing the next Artemis missions, destined to send humans to the Moon, as well as to carry out scientific studies on planet Earth.
Likewise, the senior official stated: “Our goal is to put into practice what we learn by living and working on the Moon and continue later in the solar system.” Nelson explained in a speech about the budget request for the next fiscal year that they plan to have humans walk on Mars by 2040.
He also reported that the first step to put humans back on the lunar surface, the Artemis 1 mission, is planned to be launched no earlier than May and, by 2024, the Artemis 2 mission is planned, which would take astronauts to orbit the Moon.
According to NASA plans, the next return to the Earth’s natural satellite will be through Artemis 5 in 2028, three years after Artemis 3. Then, manned moon landings are planned in 2029, 2030 and 2031, with the Artemis 6, 7 and 8.
The 2027 launch will apparently serve to develop a Gateway lunar-orbiting space station, although for 2026 the agency still has no planned launches for either the Moon or the Gateway.
VTV / WIL / EMPG