The countdown has just been given by NASA.
A bit of anticipation: we are in 2024, that day, a bit like July 21, 1969 when Neil Armstrong first set foot in this new world, no doubt there will be many of us on our good old planet to have eyes fixed on the sky ...
A crew, a woman and a man, should land at the south pole of the Earth satellite and not on the old Apollo landing sites between 1969 and 1972 which were rather at the equator.
“We are returning to the Moon in search of scientific discovery, economic benefit and inspiration for a new generation of explorers.
As we build a lasting presence, we are also creating momentum towards these first human steps on the Red Planet, ”said Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator.
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However, NASA will have to have its feet on the ground because the financial and technological challenges that lie ahead could easily call this program into question in the years to come.
To be sure that we fall back into reality, the first challenge will be financial.
For NASA, “political risks” are often more dangerous than technical risks.
16 billion for the lander
In his time, Barack Obama had canceled the Constellation Mars exploration program even if his predecessor had incurred several billion dollars in expenses… There, we must not forget that the United States' return to the Moon is a will of Donald Trump.
The upcoming presidential elections will they reshuffle the cards of these missions.
However, for NASA, this Moon target for 2024 amounts to 28 billion dollars over the next five years, of which 16 billion dollars just for the moon landing.
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It is therefore one of the first files that will be on the agenda of the Congress which will be renewed on November 3.
"If Congress votes the first 3.2 billion for the moon landing by Christmas, we will still be in the nails for a moon landing in 2024", explained Jim Bridenstine, Monday, during a press conference.
Other elements can also seize the machine.
In March with the coronavirus, NASA was forced to put the foot on the brake pedal in its program.
Beyond this question of money, the challenge will be above all technological and will be done step by step.
Three projects are in competition for this moon landing vehicle.
The former is developed by Blue Origin, founded by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper.
A week's stay on the moon
The other two projects are being developed by SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, and by the company Dynetics.
A first selection will take place in early 2021, according to NASA.
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There is also the question of the launcher.
The first flight, Artémis 1, scheduled for November 2021, will be without an astronaut on board.
The new giant SLS rocket, currently in the testing phase, will take off for the first time, with the Orion capsule at its top.
In 2023, Artemis 2 should embark astronauts around the Moon but it will not yet be a question of asking.
Finally, it is Artémis 3 who will send the crew for this one week lunar stay which will be punctuated by two to five "extravehicular activities".
Nasa therefore plans to send men regularly and install a permanent station.
“During the Apollo years, we thought that the Moon was completely dry”, explained Jim Bridenstine adding: “Today we know that there is a lot of water ice at the South Pole.
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More flexible combinations
During all this preparation, NASA should send robotic devices on site to somehow "clear" the ground before the arrival of the astronauts with a first "housing" module or scientific instruments to carry out the first experiments.
"Over time, the outpost will evolve, with new modules added by international partners, allowing crew members to conduct increasingly long lunar missions," warns NASA.
Astronauts who should be equipped with space suits that allow "greater flexibility and movement" compared to those of their Apollo predecessors, will be able to collect samples more easily on lunar soil even if the stated goal is to be able to extract water.
Water that can be converted into other usable resources (oxygen, fuel, etc.).
A starting point for other more distant explorations such as Mars.
But that's another story…