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Trump announced Monday that he was adding $ 1.6 billion to NASA's budget "so we can go back to space in a GREAT WAY!"
"Under my administration, we give @NASA its splendor and we return to the Moon, then Mars," he tweeted.
The budget increase adds to the initial $ 21 billion request from NASA to accelerate the return to the lunar surface.
"This investment is a down payment on NASA's efforts and will allow us to move forward in the areas of design, development and exploration," said Jim Bridenstine, director from NASA.
The space agency also revealed that the new mission would call Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon and twin sister of Apollo. NASA's Apollo 11 mission successfully landed the first humans on the moon on July 20, 1969.
"Fifty years after Apollo, the Artemis program will transport the next man and the first woman to the moon," said Bridenstine during a press call.
"To land on the Moon of American astronauts by 2024, we are working through an approach of acquisition for different projects," NASA said in a statement. "Our efforts will include new work at NASA centers to provide the key technologies and scientific payloads needed for the lunar surface, complementing efforts already deployed across the country."
NASA hopes that more exploration of the moon will help the United States to establish a strategic presence in the space and develop their international partnerships. A billion dollars of the budget will go directly to the development of a human lunar trading system that will bring humans to the surface of the moon.
In addition to groundbreaking research, NASA hopes that this new exploration will inspire the next generation of scientists.
CNN Michelle Lou and Brandon Griggs contributed to this report.
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