Trump Orders Return to the Moon by 2028

NASA’s Artemis program is already planning multiple crewed lunar missions over the next decade.

Zach Vasile

Monday, December 22, 2025 at 03:11 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The SLS for Artemis I on its mobile launcher [Credit: Kim Shiflett/Wikimedia Commons]

Key Takeaways:

President Trump issued an executive order calling for a crewed mission to the moon by 2028 and the establishment of a "permanent lunar outpost" by 2030, alongside plans for space-based nuclear reactors and a commercial replacement for the International Space Station.
NASA's Artemis program, launched in 2017, is already working towards these lunar missions, with a long-term goal of using the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.
The administration justifies the push for lunar return by citing economic opportunities, the need to maintain U.S. space leadership, and the development of space-based technologies for both civilian benefits and defense capabilities.

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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.