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NASA and SpaceX sending international astronaut to Moon - Elon Musk Podcast · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
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  This is a show where we discuss the critical crossroads that
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  shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink.
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  And I'm your host, Will Walden. United States Vice President
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  Kamala Harris has announced that the United States, as part of
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  NASA's Artemis program, will include an international
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  astronaut in its upcoming moon landing mission by the end of
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  the decade. Now this decision, revealed
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  during the National Space Council meeting, marks a new
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  chapter in space diplomacy and international collaboration.
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  Now, the Artemis program, which is aiming to return humans to
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  the Moon, has been a focal point of NASA and Spacex's agenda.
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  This new announcement adds a global dimension to the mission,
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  underlining the importance of international cooperation and
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  space endeavors. Now, the specific company from
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  which the astronaut will be selected remains undisclosed,
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  but the move is seen as a strategic effort to build a
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  coalition against space initiatives led by other nations
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  like China. Benjamin Silverstein, an
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  independent space analyst, emphasize the significance of
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  this decision. He believes that including an
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  international astronaut can enhance operational coordination
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  in space and improve the resolution of political
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  conflicts. This approach could benefit not
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  just the US, but also its partners in space exploration.
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  And prior to this announcement, NASA has focused on landing the
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  first woman and the first person of color on the moon Through the
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  Artemis program and the Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for
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  December 2025 but possibly delayed until 2027.
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  We'll see two of its four astronauts land on the lunar
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  surface to conduct scientific research.
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  Now France has shown a keen interest in participating in
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  this historic mission. French President Emmanuel
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  Macron, during a meeting with Harris at NASA headquarters,
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  suggested astronaut Thomas Pasqua, a veteran of two
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  International Space Station missions, as a potential
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  candidate for Artemis 3. And the Artemis program began
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  with Artemis One, an uncrewed mission that orbited the moon in
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  late 2022. And Artemis 2 is planned as a
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  crude mission to orbit the Moon. Now, the inclusion of an
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  international astronaut, possibly from a European nation,
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  in Artemis 3 aligns with existing collaboration, such as
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  the European Space Agency's provision of propulsion modules
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  for the Orion spacecraft. Now this new development in the
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  Artemis program is not only a technical advancement but also a
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  strategic diplomatic move. The US seeks to strengthen
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  international partnerships in space, countering initiatives
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  like China's International Lunar Research Station project, which
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  plans a permanent Moon base and has attached countries like
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  Russia and Venezuela. Now the meeting chaired by
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  Harris, was attended by representatives from the 33
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  countries that signed NASA's Artemis Accords.
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  And these accords outlined peaceful and cooperative
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  practices and space exploration, highlighting NASA's commitment
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  to international collaboration. Now, the Secretary of State
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  Anthony Blinken, present at the meeting, stressed the need for
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  partners to navigate new challenges in space, A domain
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  that is witnessing constant technological and exploratory
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  advancements. He said that this is important
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  and it will shape the future of all space travel in the future.
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  So the US has previously committed to flying
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  international astronauts around the moon and future Artemis
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  missions. However, the latest announcement
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  goes kind of a step further by allowing an international
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  astronaut to finally walk in the moon.
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  The feat was only achieved by 12 people to date, and no one has
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  done it in around 50 years now. Harris made this historic
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  announcement at the White House's National Space Council
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  meeting in Washington, DC, attended by top officials
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  including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National
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  Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The decision is also vital for
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  allies and partners of the Artemis program going forward,
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  and each Artemis moon landing mission will accommodate 4
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  astronauts, with two landing on the moon and the others
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  remaining in orbit. NASA has committed to multiple
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  opportunities for NASA's astronauts and also those from
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  ESA, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and
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  JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, to
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  participate in Gateway, which is a small space station around the
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  moon and other Artemis missions for the future.
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  Now, Artemis 2, which is set for a November 2024 launch, will
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  mark the first human orbit around the moon since Apollo.
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  This mission will include Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen
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  highlighted EU s s dedication to international collaboration, and
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  Hansen praised NASA's decision to involve international
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  partners as an example of American leadership, had a
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  necessary step in today's global context.
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  The timeline for Artemis 3, though the first moon landing
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  mission of the program is uncertain sometime in
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  20/25/2027, with potential delays related to the
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  development of Spacex's loader Lander, the HLS Starship and the
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  final crew. Assignments for each mission
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  will be made closer to the launch dates based on mission
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  requirements and crew specifications and
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  qualifications. Now, NASA's decision to include
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  an international astronaut on the moon landing mission is all
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  about international cooperation and space exploration.
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  They're going to enhance scientific research, foster
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  international relations, and set up precedent for future
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  collaborative space missions. Hey, thank you so much for
• 5:31
  listening today. I really do appreciate your
• 5:34
  support. If you could take a second and
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  hit the subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast
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  platform that you're listening on right now, I greatly
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  appreciate it. It helps out the show
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  tremendously and you'll never miss an episode.
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  And each episode is about 10 minutes or less to get you
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  caught up quickly. And please, if you want to
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  support the show even more, go to patreon.com/stage Zero and
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  please take care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you
• 6:00
  tomorrow.