"To the Moon, Alice!"

President Donald Trump wants Americans back on the moon before he leaves office.

The president issued an executive order on Thursday calling for a crewed mission to the moon by 2028 and the beginnings of a “permanent lunar outpost” by 2030. He also ordered the deployment of nuclear reactors to space and the moon’s surface and laid out plans for developing a “commercial pathway” to replace the International Space Station by 2030.

NASA’s Artemis program, launched in 2017 during Trump’s first term, is already working to restart lunar missions. Artemis III, which would send astronauts to the moon’s south polar region, is currently scheduled for mid-2027, though that timeline could change.

Several more crewed missions to the moon are expected to take place over the following years.

The space agency’s long-term goal is to eventually use the moon as a bridge to Mars.

Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other aerospace and technology companies are developing components and vehicles for the Artemis project.

The White House said a return to the moon is needed to help capitalize on economic opportunities and to maintain U.S. hegemony in space. It listed more accurate weather forecasts, improved navigation technology, better timing services for precision agriculture, and global satellite-enabled internet access as likely benefits of continued investment in space-related technologies.

The administration also cited the need to develop space-based warfighting capabilities and protect “critical space assets.”

No human has set foot on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The U.S. is still the only country to have successfully landed astronauts on the lunar surface.

Key elements of the Artemis Executive Order are:

• 2028 Lunar Landing: Formalizes a goal to return American astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 (accelerating previous timelines).

• Permanent Lunar Outpost: Mandates the establishment of initial elements for a permanent base on the Moon by 2030.

• Space Nuclear Power: Directs the deployment of nuclear reactors in orbit and on the lunar surface, with a reactor ready for launch by 2030.

• Governance Changes: Revokes the 2021 Executive Order that governed the National Space Council, effectively restructuring how space policy is coordinated within the White House.

• Commercial Integration: Instructs NASA and the Department of Commerce to reform acquisition processes to prioritize commercial solutions and private sector investment (targeting $50 billion in new investment by 2028).

Read more about the Artemis program here.