Four uncrewed lunar lander missions are set for 2026, paving the way for NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the moon.

The United States has been vocal about wanting to beat China back to the surface of the Moon. In February, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said that the agency faced “credible competition from our greatest geopolitical adversary” and needed to “move faster, eliminate delays and achieve our objectives”.

NASA outlined plans to increase the cadence of robotic lunar lander missions at a recent event but said little about accelerating work on crewed landers.

It has been 50 years since humans last walked the lunar surface, and NASA’s efforts to get back there will take place in stages.

The four Artemis astronauts circling Earth are awaiting the green light from NASA to head for the Moon and carry out the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.

New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hit the ground running and is ready for a giant leap to the Moon.

The U.S. space agency launched a lunar flyby Wednesday, but Beijing is pursuing its own space program with formidable focus. Here’s what we know about it, in photos and videos.

By Eduardo Baptista BEIJING, April 2 (Reuters) - NASA sent four astronauts on the world's first crewed lunar mission in half a century on Wednesday, in preparation for a first-ever manned landing on the moon's South Pole in 2028,