"The president has given our agency the bold charge to land the next man and the first woman on the lunar south pole by 2024. And now president trump has extended his vote of confidence in our work with an amended budget request for fiscal year 2020. It includes $1.6 billion in additional funding," Bridenstine said on Monday.
The funding, he added, will accelerate development of the space launch system and a human lunar landing system.
The investment will also boost development of capabilities like increased robotic exploration of the moon polar regions, Bridenstine said.
READ MORE: US, China to Share, Publicly Release Data From Dark Side of the Moon — NASA
Previously, a potential mission to the moon in 2028 was presented to the US National Space Council’s Users’ Advisory Group in response to US President Donald Trump’s idea of going to the Moon.
