President Donald Trump touted the Artemis II mission as proof that the United States is winning in space and “everywhere in between” ahead of its Wednesday evening launch.
The Artemis II mission, originally scheduled for February but delayed due to weather, will launch four astronauts into deep space to orbit the moon. The mission marks the first time astronauts have been to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
“Tonight at 6:24 P.M. EST, for the first time in over 50 YEARS, America is going back to the Moon,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said that the space mission signals U.S. domination in space and beyond.
“We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between,” he wrote. “Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS. Nobody comes close! America doesn’t just compete, we DOMINATE, and the whole World is watching.”
The goal of NASA’s Artemis project is to establish a long-term presence on the moon. The Artemis program was established in 2019 during Trump’s first term.
WHAT IS THE NASA ARTEMIS PROGRAM?
The project launched its first successful unmanned test, named Artemis I, in 2019. The Biden administration safeguarded the efforts, indicating it was central to U.S. space policy.
Artemis III and Artemis IV will likely take place in 2027 and 2028.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced last week that the agency is moving forward with building a $20 million base on the moon, abandoning original efforts to build a space station that would orbit the moon.
“This is the moment where we should all start believing again, when ideas become missions and when hard work delivers world-changing accomplishments,” Isaacman said in a statement to NASA employees. “NASA once changed everything, and we’re going to do it again.”
