The Trump administration announced it is asking Congress for $1.6 billion more to support President Donald Trump’s goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2024 under a program being called “Artemis,” according to CNN.
The new name of the lunar return program was announced Monday by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
The administrator will answer questions about how a new budget amendment for the fiscal year 2020 proposal will help NASA return to the moon by 2024. Watch the discussion live at the top of this story.
Apollo was the name of the last venture to the moon by NASA, and the new program is a nod to the mythological Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, who was the goddess of the hunt and moon.
NASA plans to have at least one woman on the next crew planned for a lunar landing.
Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said in a Tweet that she was glad to hear NASA leaders are embracing the female Greek god of hunting as the mission name.
“Fun to hear NASA naming moon mission Artemis -- sister of Apollo and the name I've promoted for decades (including in grad school),” said Garver, now CEO of Earthrise Alliance. “The NASA bureaucrats wouldn't let me use the name for the asteroid mission because Artemis kills Orion in Greek mythology... love it even more now!”
To Garver’s point, Aretmis was killed by Orion—the name of NASA’s moon spacecraft.
Trump’s additional $1.6 billion request is in addition to the already $21 billion in the administration’s proposed 2020 budget, according to CNN.
ARTEMIS: Twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon. Now, the name for our #Moon2024 mission to return @NASA_Astronauts to the surface of the Moon by 2024, including the first woman and next man. pic.twitter.com/1K9qIloZwp
— NASA (@NASA) May 13, 2019