NASA has already made its intention public of putting American astronauts back on the moon. It aims to do that by 2024 and the agency has now started to provide an idea of just how much it’s going to actually cost to do that. NASA administrator says that the next moon landing could cost between $20 to $30 billion.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine revealed to CNN Business this week that the space agency is going to require between $20 to $30 billion over the next five years in order to succeed in its plans to return American astronauts to the moon. The agency’s budget is already expected to be around $20 billion annually so this would mean adding up to $6 billion per year on average to the budget.
Bridenstine does caution that this may not be the final price tag since spaceflight is not only dangerous but unpredictable so additional funds could be required. That’s why it’s not possible to provide an accurate estimate of what Artemis is going to cost.
NASA’s program to put humans back on the moon again is named Artemis after the Greek goddess of the moon. It would take humans back to the lunar surface for the first time in 50 years. NASA is aiming to send two astronauts to the moon which would also include the first woman ever to walk on the moon.
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