FORWARD TO THE MOON: NASA’s Strategic Plan for Human Exploration

Space Policy Directive: To The Moon, Then Mars

"Lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities. Beginning with missions beyond low-Earth orbit, the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations"

Moon Before Mars

On the Moon, we can take reasonable risks while astronauts are just three days away from home.

There we will prove technologies and mature systems necessary to live and work on another world before embarking on what could be a 2-3 year mission to Mars.

The Artemis Program

Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.

Now, she personifies our path to the Moon as the name of NASA's program to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024. 

When they land, Artemis astronauts will step foot where no human has ever been before: the Moon's South Pole. 

With the horizon goal of sending humans to Mars, Artemis begins the next era of exploration.

Sustainability at The Moon, Preparation For Mars

• American-led exploration and strategic presence
• Unbound potential for partnerships and collaboration
• Meaningful, long-duration human missions
• Understanding of impacts on human performance
• Repeatable operations with reusable systems
• Unprecedented science independent of Earth
• A new future on the Moon and Mars