NASA estimates that humans will live on the moon within 10 years

The statement comes after the Orion spacecraft was launched toward the moon as part of the Artemis mission. The goal is to establish a permanent human presence there, starting with that of scientists.

Today, Saturday, the US Space Agency said that NASA estimates indicate that humans will live on the moon within the next decade. BBC.

Humans return to the moon

Howard Hu, director of NASA’s Lunar Space Program Orion, explained in the same interview that habitats on the Moon will be necessary in the coming years to allow scientists to carry out their missions.

This statement comes a few days after the successful liftoff of the Orion spacecraft, on its way to the moon after taking off from Florida, United States, as part of the Artemis mission.

The capsule will not land on the Moon but will venture behind it for up to 64,000 km, which is a record for a habitable spacecraft.

This first test flight, without a crew on board, must first operate to ensure that the vehicle is safe. But the long-term goal is to take astronauts to the moon with this capsule in the next few years. This will be the first time since the last Apollo mission in 1972. The goal is to establish a permanent human presence there.

A “first step” in deep space exploration

Howard Hu hailed the success of the launch, referring to a “historic day for manned spaceflight,” when the capsule was already about 134,000 km from the moon on Saturday.

“This is the first step we’re taking toward long-term deep space exploration, not just for the United States, but for the world,” he said.

The success of this mission depends on the future of Artemis 2, which will take astronauts around the moon without landing, and then Artemis 3, which will finally determine the return of humans to the lunar surface. These missions are scheduled to officially take place in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

This summer, the first take-off attempt was canceled at the last moment due to a sensor malfunction, and the second due to an uncontrolled hydrogen leak.