White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the Biden administration supports NASA's Artemis program to send humans back to the surface of the Moon.
Why it matters: Some speculated that NASA's Artemis program would be canceled under Biden, as previous administrations have dramatically changed the direction of NASA's exploration goals.
Details: The comments today from Psaki show that the administration intends to stay the course, at least when it comes to the broad idea behind the mission.
- "To date only 12 humans have walked on the Moon. That was half a century ago. The Artemis program — a waypoint to Mars — provides... the opportunity to add numbers to that... Lunar exploration has broad and bicameral support in Congress," Psaki said, adding that "certainly we support this effort and endeavor."
Yes, but: President Biden has yet to announce his pick for a NASA administrator, who will affect the space agency's course in the coming years, and the administration has not put forth new details about its space policy priorities.
- It remains to be seen whether the Artemis program's goal of landing people on the Moon by 2024 will stand firm.
- That quick timeline — put in place by the Trump administration — has come under fire for being politically motivated and too risky.
