Retired astronaut Capt. Winston Scott told Newsmax on Monday that NASA should consider accelerating its Artemis moon program as the U.S. pushes toward a planned return to the lunar surface.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Scott said the goal of landing astronauts by 2028 is within reach, but only if the current pace is maintained or accelerated.
"Oh, I absolutely think it's possible if we keep the pedal to the metal, so to speak," he said when asked about the timeline.
Scott emphasized that the building blocks for success are already in place, pointing to financial support and mission planning.
"We've got the funding, we have a schedule. I think it's absolutely possible," he said. "In fact, I'd like to see them accelerate that schedule just a little bit.
"And, unless I miss my guess, I think those discussions are probably being held," Scott added.
He noted that the Artemis II mission is progressing smoothly and said preparations for the next phase are already underway.
"The mission is going very, very well," Scott said. "And the plans for Artemis III are in the making ... so I think it's quite possible that they'll make the goal two years from now."
He acknowledged that one of the biggest remaining challenges is perfecting the technology needed to land astronauts on the moon.
Scott pointed out that while launch systems have advanced significantly, the human landing system remains under development.
"What we want to see is the development of the human lander part that will take astronauts from [the] Orion [spacecraft] to the surface of the moon and back," he said.
Two private-sector tech giants are competing to develop the lander capability needed for Artemis missions, Scott said.
"SpaceX, Elon Musk, is developing one of those systems, and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is developing the other," he said.
According to Scott, that competition is not only expected but beneficial to the program's success.
"So we have two competitors there and whoever gets done first will do the first test in Earth's orbit," he said. "Then we'll send them off to the moon to do a complete test, and then whoever gets done second will do the same thing."
Scott said the structured testing approach will help ensure reliability while maintaining momentum toward the moon.
"We've got good, healthy competition," he added. "It's going along real well and I feel real good about the whole thing."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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