Trump calls for a $ 1.6 billion increase in NASA's Artemis program to land the first woman on the moon by 2024

The Trump administration is looking to increase NASA's budget by $ 1.6 billion next year, which adds to the $ 21 billion budget previously requested by President Trump, to advance the Initiative called Artemis, which aimed to send back to the Moon the American astronauts by 2024.

"Under my administration, we restore the size of @NASA and we return to the Moon, then to Mars. I am updating my budget to include an additional $ 1.6 billion so that we can return to space in a GREAT WAY! Trump said Monday on Twitter.

The White House sent Monday to Congress an amendment to the budget that provided for the use of the additional $ 1.9 billion Pell grant to fund other budget priorities such as NASA. Officials insisted that the reallocation of the Pell grant money would have no impact on those currently receiving grants, which helps low-income students finance their education.

"This does not cut spending for Pell Grant programs because the budget continues to ensure that all students will get their full Pell Scholarship and will keep the program on a sound budget basis," said the Office of Management's spokesperson. and budget, Wesley Denton.

NASA had previously set a goal of landing US astronauts on the lunar surface by 2028 – what Vice President Pence said "not enough" in March at a meeting of the Council national of space. The vice president then challenged NASA to bring humans to the moon in the next five years. She added that the space agency had to meet the new deadline by "all necessary means".

The initiative to land the first woman and the next American on the moon was christened Artemis, in reference to the Greek goddess and twin sister of Apollo. NASA said in its budget amendment for the 2014 fiscal year that it needed an additional $ 1.6 billion to help fund "exploration, science and technology in the world". "deep space".

"This is the boost that NASA needs to go forward with the design, development and exploration," said the agency.

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Of an additional $ 1.6 billion, approximately $ 651 million is expected to be used to develop the Space Launch System space rocket and the Orion space launch system. An additional $ 1 billion will be used to build human lunar landing systems "three years earlier than planned to bring men to the surface of the moon by 2024," says the budget amendment.

Associated Press contributed to this report.