Bill Nelson, the head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has outlined plans to return American astronauts to the Moon, aiming to achieve a crewed lunar mission toward the latter part of this decade. The plan envisions a multi-person crew journey that would leverage a combination of NASA spacecraft and commercial lunar lander technology to reach the Moon and conduct operations in lunar orbit and on the surface. This update reflects ongoing momentum in US space exploration and underscores NASA’s coordination with private industry to advance human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit.
The roadmap calls for a four-person crew to be launched into lunar orbit, with the mission built around a six-day timeline that includes docking with a SpaceX lunar lander and a subset of crew members descending to the Moon’s surface. The objective is to place two astronauts on the Moon while two remain in orbit, providing life support, data relay, and surface operations coordination as conditions allow. The mission, envisioned as Artemis-3, is presented as a key milestone in returning humans to the Moon with sustained capabilities and a focus on science, technology demonstration, and international collaboration. This plan is described as part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon. A NASA press briefing summarized these aims and highlighted the unprecedented nature of the surface touchdown in this mission architecture, including the potential for extended sorties and the testing of new lunar operations procedures. An official source notes that the surface landings would mark the first time a woman could participate in a lunar crewed landing as part of an American mission, illustrating progress toward broader participation in deep space exploration. [NASA press materials]
Beyond the immediate lunar landing, NASA leadership has stressed the importance of a robust, multi-vehicle approach that includes coordinated deep-space propulsion demonstrations, habitat technologies, and surface system capabilities. The Artemis-3 framework is designed to test forward-looking capabilities such as satellite-to-surface comms links, lunar surface science deployments, and ascent/descent operations that would feed into future missions. The emphasis on crewed surface activity is paired with quantifiable safety and reliability targets to support repeatable lunar landings in the coming years, as well as an incremental expansion of human presence on the Moon. These elements are being developed in collaboration with international partners and private sector stakeholders to maximize learning and cost efficiency. [NASA program summaries]
In related developments, January statements have indicated plans to pursue a nuclear thermal propulsion program that could yield operational engines by 2027. The joint NASA-DARPA initiative is described as a strategic effort to explore high-performance propulsion for deep-space missions and to shorten transit times, thereby expanding mission design options and crew safety margins. The initial budget for this joint effort was proposed at around USD 110 million in 2023, with projections suggesting a substantial increase in the ensuing years as technology maturation continues and additional partners join the program. This budget trajectory reflects a broader commitment to advancing propulsion, power, and thermal management capabilities critical to the next generation of space exploration. These programmatic developments are subject to annual budget cycles and political considerations, but they illustrate the U.S. government’s sustained investment in deep-space exploration technologies. [NASA-DARPA program updates]