US President Donald Trump believes it is possible to send Americans back to the Moon before the end of his term in January 2029. NASA is considering such a moon landing in 2028, but there could be further delays because the lander are still under development.

Published on: 04/29/2026 - 10:19 p.m. Modified on: 04/30/2026 - 00:01

Donald Trump said, Wednesday April 29, that he believed in the possibility of sending Americans back to the Moon by the end of his mandate, during an event at the White House in the presence of the astronauts of the Artemis II mission, who circled the Moon in early April.

“We have a good chance” of getting there, said the American president, whose second term will end in January 2029. “We prefer not to say it categorically (...) but we are ahead of schedule, so we have a good chance.”

NASA is now considering such a moon landing in 2028, but experts are concerned about potential further delays because the moonlanders are still under development.

Also read: Distance record, “Earth setting” and meteorites: what to remember from the Artemis II mission

The Republican received American astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as their Canadian colleague Jeremy Hansen at the White House to congratulate them after the success of their mission. “We are very proud of them. They have unimaginable courage,” he said, before adding jokingly: “Is the president authorized to participate in one of these missions?”

Pressure from Chinese rivals

Departing from Florida on April 1 aboard the powerful SLS lunar rocket, the four astronauts ventured to the vicinity of the Moon, a first in more than half a century. On this occasion, they became the furthest human beings have gone into space, more than 406,000 kilometers from Earth.

See alsoIn pictures: the most striking photos of the Artemis II mission to the Moon

The Artemis II mission was also the first in history to fly a woman (Christina Koch), a black man (Victor Glover) and a non-American (Jeremy Hansen) around the Moon.

Designed as a test flight, it aimed to ensure that NASA's new lunar rocket and its Orion spacecraft were ready to allow the Americans to return to the lunar surface, now planned for the fourth mission of the Artemis program in 2028. The date will, however, depend on the progress made by the companies SpaceX and Blue Origin of the multi-billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, charged by NASA with the development of the lander.

See also Quest for extraterrestrial life: will the universe remain silent?

Beyond Donald Trump's desire to see such a moon landing during his mandate, the United States is facing pressure from their Chinese rivals, who also aim to send men to the Moon by 2030.

With AFP

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