Mike Pence has taken Nasa by surprise by declaring his intention to get American astronauts on the moon by 2024 “by any means necessary” — four years sooner than previous targets.
NASA should land astronauts near the south pole of the moon within five years “by any means necessary,” calling for “new urgency” in the U.S. space program and sounding a warning for entrenched aerospace contractors to better meet schedule and cost commitments, or else lose work to other companies.
The first woman and the next man on the moon will both be American astronauts, launched by American rockets from American soil.
NASA and the Trump administration previously aimed to land astronauts on the moon by 2028. Pence said the National Space Council, which he chairs, will send recommendations to President Trump for a “major course correction” at NASA.
“To accomplish this, we must redouble our efforts,” Pence said.
Development of the Space Launch System is managed at Marshall, which has been the home of NASA’s major rocket propulsion programs since the 1960s.
After Pence’s remarks — Bridenstine said he accepted the Trump administration’s challenge to land astronauts on the moon by 2024.
Bridenstine said NASA’s review of commercial launch options, which would have likely included a combination of SpaceX and United Launch Alliance rockets, showed there is an opportunity to use commercial boosters for deep space missions in the future, but that the Space Launch System provides the surest path to achieving a lunar landing by 2024.
“If we want to achieve 2024, we have to have SLS,” Bridenstine said.
But in his speech, Pence cautioned the NASA and its contractors should not assume the Space Launch System is the only path to the moon.
“We must accelerate the SLS program to meet this objective, but know this, the president has directed NASA and Administrator Jim Bridesnteine to accomplish this goal by any means necessary,” Pence said. “In order to succeed … we must focus on the mission over the means. You must consider every available option and platform to meet our goals, including industry, government and the entire American space enterprise. Our administration is committed to this goal.”
Despite warnings by NASA and Boeing program managers that a delay in the first SLS launch to 2021 was likely, Bridenstine told Pence at Tuesday’s National Space Council meeting that he is “confident we can get to the first launch in 2020 for SLS, and actually fly a crew capsule around the moon.”
An SLS/Orion flight around the moon with astronauts on-board would follow by 2022.
The landing site for astronauts’ return to the moon will be near the lunar south pole, Pence said, where scientists have found evidence of water ice on the the floors of craters in permanent shadow. The ice could be harvested and converted into rocket fuel, creating a lunar refueling depot for eventual missions to Mars.
Congress approved $2.15 billion for the Space Launch System program in fiscal year 2019, while the Trump administration’s budget request would slash that by $375 million to around 1.78 billion 💵.