NASA's return of American astronauts to the Moon in 2024 will cost at least $28 billion, including $16 billion for the human landing system.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, along with senior officials Kathy Lueders, James Reuter, and Thomas Zurbuchen, shared key updates on the Artemis program during a Monday press conference. A top priority: the agency remains committed to landing the first woman and next man on the Moon since Apollo in 2024.
Achieving this ambitious timeline requires substantial funding. The lunar return is projected to cost $28 billion over the next five years, with $16 billion allocated to the lander. Congress, set for renewal after the November 3 elections, must approve these funds. If the initial $3.2 billion for the lander passes by Christmas, "we'll still be on track for a 2024 Moon landing," Bridenstine confirmed.
On the technical front, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket is advancing steadily. Its core stage and four solid rocket boosters are nearing completion of final analyses, leading to a hot-fire test this fall. The Orion crew capsule, designed to carry astronauts to lunar orbit, is fully assembled. Together, they are "closer than ever to their first integrated launch," NASA reports.
Post hot-fire test, the SLS core stage heads to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where Orion will be stacked atop it. Two uncrewed test flights precede the crewed landing: Artemis I is on track for 2021, followed by crewed Artemis II in 2023, orbiting the Moon. During Artemis II, astronauts will manually fly Orion after separating from the SLS interim stage, testing handling and software for Artemis III.
Meanwhile, NASA plans multiple robotic lunar missions starting 2021 (two annually) to preposition science instruments for arriving astronauts.
Artemis III targets the lunar South Pole (with contingency options). Astronauts will conduct a one-week surface stay, performing spacewalks for sample collection and experiments.
NASA is also advancing the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a station in lunar orbit to act as an Earth-Moon hub. It will support extended stays and future Mars missions. For Artemis III, Gateway may still be under construction, so crews could transfer directly from Orion to the lander. Artemis IV's four-astronaut crew is expected to dock at Gateway, with two staying aboard while others head to the surface.
