As of: March 7, 2024, 1:43 p.m
By: Bleranda Shabani
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Economics Minister Robert Habeck begins his multi-day trip to the USA.
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
Economics Minister Robert Habeck is traveling to the USA for several days.
He has a special request in his luggage: He wants to send German astronauts to the moon.
Green Party politician Robert Habeck is aiming to transport German astronauts to the moon as part of a new US mission.
The Artemis program, which was initiated by the American space agency NASA, is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics.
Its goal is to take people to the moon again.
In Washington he will speak to several political and business representatives about his plans.
Green politician Habeck is committed to German participation
To enforce German representation on the moon, astronauts Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer accompany the Vice Chancellor to the United States.
The two German astronauts already know space.
ESA astronaut and geophysicist Alexander Gerst spent almost half a year in the International Space Station in 2014 and even went on a spacewalk.
He returned for a second mission between June 8 and December 20, 2018.
ESA astronaut and materials scientist Matthias Maurer was also able to take a look at Earth from the universe.
In 2021, he was the first German to travel to the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule and spent almost half a year there.
The two now want to be among the few Europeans who can travel around the moon.
Germany participates in the Artemis program through the European Space Agency (ESA).
The first unmanned test mission, Artemis I, was successfully completed in 2022.
People are not expected to travel around the moon with Artemis II until September 2025 at the earliest.
Artemis III is scheduled to land on the moon at the end of 2026.