The US has announced plans to send an international astronaut to the moon

(CNN) — Vice President Kamala Harris announced that an international astronaut will land on the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Artemis program.

While the United States has previously pledged to bring international astronauts to the moon on future Artemis missions, today’s announcement takes that commitment a step further, allowing one of them to actually walk on the moon’s surface, joining an elite club that has only existed so far. Consists of 12 members.

“Today, in recognition of the critical role our allies and partners play in the Artemis program, I am proud to announce that, together with American astronauts, we will land an international astronaut on the Moon by the end of this decade,” Harris said Wednesday during a White House National Space Council meeting in Washington. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan attended the meeting.

Each planned Artemis moon landing mission will have room for four astronauts, but not all of them will set foot on the moon. Only two astronauts will land on the surface of the moon per mission, and the remaining two will only orbit the moon in the Orion spacecraft or a small space station called Gateway.

“NASA has confirmed three opportunities for astronauts from the European Space Agency to fly to Gateway, one opportunity for a Canadian Space Agency astronaut to fly to Gateway and one opportunity on Artemis II, and one opportunity for a Japanese astronaut (JAXA) to fly to Gateway,” a NASA official told CNN. said. “Beyond Artemis II, these team prospects are not assigned to specific Artemis missions.”

The Artemis II mission was the first time a man had orbited the Moon since the end of the Apollo program. The crew, scheduled to launch in November 2024, includes Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who introduced the vice president this Wednesday.

“NASA may have chosen to do this alone, but has made a deliberate choice to include Canada and a growing list of international partners. This extraordinary example of American leadership enhances our collective experience and is not only truly appreciated, but urgently needed in the world today,” Hansen said.

The first lunar lander, Artemis III, is not scheduled to launch until late 2025. However, that timeline has already been called into question as the space agency closely monitors the development of the SpaceX vehicle. Artemis III carries astronauts to the lunar surface.

“As mission parameters and team criteria are defined, NASA will perform specific team tasks closely related to each mission,” a NASA official said.