US President Donald Trump has stated that the United States has a strong chance of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2029.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the US leader made these remarks during an official reception at the White House for the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission—Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover.
The astronauts completed a historic flight around the Moon in early April, traveling deeper into space than any humans in history before returning safely to Earth. This mission is regarded as the first crewed journey toward the Moon in more than 50 years. During the reception, US President Donald Trump praised the crew, stating: "It is people like this who make our country great again. We are proud of these individuals; they possess incredible courage."
When asked by reporters whether it would be possible for astronauts to return to the lunar surface before the end of his presidential term, US President Donald Trump noted that such a scenario is highly probable. The event, which lasted over 20 minutes, highlighted the administration's commitment to maintaining American leadership in space exploration.
The Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. This marked the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft and the first human mission to deep space since the conclusion of the Apollo program. On April 6, the spacecraft orbited the Moon, reaching a distance of approximately 400,000 kilometers from Earth before returning via a free-return trajectory.
During the mission, the crew tested essential life support, navigation, and control systems, as well as long-distance communication capabilities. This flight is considered a vital technical precursor for future expeditions. While the United States officially aims to land humans on the Moon by 2028, some experts remain skeptical about whether lunar landing vehicles being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin will be ready within that timeframe.
The Artemis program, led by NASA, serves as a foundational step for establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon and eventually sending the first astronauts to Mars. The successful completion of the Artemis II flight reinforces the technical viability of the Orion spacecraft for deep-space missions.
