How are we going back to the moon?

Looks like the moon is back in style. Decades after NASA's last trip to our satellite, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin have recently announced plans for lunar landers, and NASA hopes to build an orbital-lunar bridge that would be placed in orbit around the moon.

The Moon is a logical stepping stone for longer missions on Mars and beyond. It is a crucial testing ground for advanced technologies. As a result, it is a privileged target for the actors of the new space race.

The lunar outpost proposed by NASA would remain in a high lunar orbit and allow for scientific and commercial activity. Officials said the outpost could be built and ready to host astronauts by the mid-2020s, although the rocket and capsule that NASA plans to use for construction and visit of the station are still under development.

This lunar outpost will accommodate a maximum of four astronauts at a time for 30 to 90 days. But, if the outpost will allow astronauts to work and experiment around the moon, it could be accompanied by new technologies designed by Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin to actually land on the lunar surface.