'I think we will prevail': NASA chief Jared Isaacman on Artemis, China and the new moon race (exclusive)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is serious about launching "big rockets" to the moon every single year for the agency's Artemis program.
Key points
- While NASA can learn some lessons from past moon missions with Apollo, today it's primarily relying on the extensive experience and talent within the agency, according to Isaacman.
- The talent of the workforce and industry is no different than the 1960s." There's another similarity to the Apollo era: NASA has a rival in its race to the moon.
- We recently sat down with the NASA chief to discuss the state of the Artemis program, and, off the bat, he made it clear that he's confident in the U.S.
"That's what we're doing with Artemis III, and that's what's going to better prepare us for Artemis IV." A new space race So, how is NASA coping with the challenges that face them as they approach Artemis III ahead of a crewed lunar landing on Artemis IV, which is targeted for 2028?
Additional details
- We will launch again in '27." That coming launch will be for Artemis III, a crewed mission to low Earth orbit that will test docking procedures between NASA's Orion capsule and one or both of the Artemis program's private lunar landers — SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon.
- "If NASA is going to be doing deep-space missions, complicated missions, [we should] launch at least once a year and get as much out of it as you can for taking the risk and spending the taxpayer dollars and building towards something greater," Isaacman added.
- "I think that's imperative for NASA to be doing these deep-space human spaceflight missions right now," Isaacman added.
- They've showcased their landers, their rovers, their suits, two-launch architecture with built-in reusability." So NASA is taking the Chinese threat very seriously, according to Isaacman.
- In fact, just prior to our conversation, it was announced that Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman will become the new deputy director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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