One small step for Trump: US President says man may return to moon in his term

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House with Artemis II astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen on April 29. Photo / Andrew Harnik, Getty Images via AFP

United States President Donald Trump said he believes Nasa has a good chance of returning astronauts to the moon before he leaves the White House at the start of 2029.

Asked if he thought the US space agency would achieve the goal during his second term, Trump said: “Oh, we have a shot at it”.

But he quickly added: “I mean, we don’t like to say ‘definitely’ because then you say, ‘oh, we failed’”.

The US President made his comments while welcoming to the Oval Office the four Artemis II astronauts who recently returned from a trip around the moon.

Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen travelled further into space than anyone before. It was also the first crewed journey around the moon in more than 50 years.

The US is targeting a lunar landing in 2028. But experts have voiced doubts that the lunar landers being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin - companies owned by billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos respectively - will be ready in time.

Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman, who was at the White House for today’s event, told Trump that “we have an achievable plan to go back to the moon”.

China is forging ahead with its own effort, targeting 2030 to put astronauts on the lunar surface.

At one point Trump joked: “Is a President allowed to go up on one of these missions?”

Isaacman answered (in classic Nasa fashion): “We can get working on it Mr President”.

-Agence France-Presse