The United States has announced that its astronauts will set foot on the moon in 2024

The Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, announced that the official policy of his country was send American astronauts to the moon within five years, including the first woman.

"By order of the President, the official policy of this administration and the United States is to send American astronauts back to the moon in five years," Pence said during a speech delivered at Huntsville, Alabama.

"The first woman and the next man on the moon will be American astronauts, launched by American rockets from American soil," he said.

The date indicated up to now for a return to the Earth's natural satellite was 2028but Donald Trump's government has expressed frustration at the delays and budget overruns of NASA's program for the construction of its next major SLS rocket, whose first flight was recently reprogrammed for 2021.

Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States. | AFP

During his speech, the Vice President attacked the space agency, criticized his "bureaucratic inertia" and called for "renewing his enthusiasm".

In addition, he threatened entrust future missions to private companies if NASA was not ready in time.

"If private rockets are the only way to bring American astronauts back to the moon in five years, then they will be private rockets," he said.

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine recently said that it would probably be a woman next to walk on the moon's floor, who no human beings have walked since 1972.