National Space Council 5th Public Meeting, March 2019
The White House National Space Council, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, met in public session for the fifth time at Marshall Space Flight Center, AL on March 26, 2019. This was a seminal event — Pence announced that Trump Administration policy is to land “the next man and the first woman” at the Moon’s South Pole by 2024, just 5 years away. He also strongly criticized NASA and the contractor building NASA’s Saturn V-class Space Launch System (SLS), for repeated delays and overruns. Though he did not name Boeing, it was clear who he meant when he said if the current contractor could not meet the new schedule, someone else would be found. He similarly warned NASA that if the agency could not meet the date, NASA must change, not the schedule. Other matters were discussed at the Space Council meeting, but the Moon-by-2024 announcement stole the show.
SpacePolicyOnline.com summarized Pence’s remarks and immediate reaction to it.
- Pence: Americans will Land at the Moon’s South Pole by 2024 (March 26 2019)
- Reactions Mixed to Pence’s Call for Astronauts on the Moon by 2024 (March 26, 2019)
- Moon 2024 Gets Cool Reception by House Committee Democrats (April 2, 2019)
The program was later named Artemis after Apollo’s twin sister in Green mythology. SpacePolicyOnline.com provides continuing coverage of the Artemis Moon-by-2024 program. Search “Moon 2024” or “Artemis” or similar terms to find additional articles.