NASA "Humanity to Achieve Long-Term Stay on the Moon by 2030"

'Artemis Project' First Rocket Successfully Launched

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Howard Hu, who leads NASA's lunar exploration program, confidently stated that humans will be able to stay on the moon long-term before 2030.

On the 20th (local time), Hu called the successful launch of the first rocket of the Artemis project, aimed at sending humanity back to the moon, on the 16th a "historic day in human spaceflight" during an interview with the British BBC.

He emphasized, "We are on our way back to the moon," adding, "We are moving toward a sustainable program, and this transportation system will carry people and land us back on the moon."

He further explained that once the stability of the Artemis I rocket is verified, the next plan is "to enable people to live on the moon during this 2020s."

According to Hu, the main reason for staying on the moon is to confirm whether water exists at the lunar south pole. Fuel is needed to continue exploration activities to other planets, including Mars, and water can be used for this purpose.

He explained, "It is very important to know even a little about what lies beyond Earth's orbit before taking a big step toward Mars," adding, "Artemis provides us with a sustainable platform and transportation system to learn how to carry out missions in deep space."

Orion was launched from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and, as of the time of reporting, has narrowed the distance to the moon to 134,000 km. It will return to Earth and is scheduled to end its flight in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on the 11th of next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.