NASA to unveil first commercial lander to return astronauts to moon by 2024 - WFTV Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. - NASA officials have set a goal of returning astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024, but first they need a way to get there.

The agency plans to release details at 1 p.m. Friday on its first commercial partners who will be tasked with designing and building a moon landing service.

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The last time an astronaut stood on the moon’s dusty and barren surface was during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. The mission also marked the last time a person left low-Earth orbit.

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Twelve men explored the moon’s surface before the Apollo program ended. Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt were the last to set foot on the celestial body.

Since the end of Apollo, NASA’s manned missions have focused on the International Space Station and a handful of repair jobs to fix the Hubble Space Telescope.

The iconic Space Shuttle flew more than 800 crew members into space before the spacecraft’s flights were halted in 2008.

By setting sights back on the moon, NASA is expanding its budget and utilizing private space industry in a post-space shuttle era.

NASA said life sized models of the next generation of lunar landing technology will be unveiled during its Friday press conference.

The goals of the new landers will be to conduct science experiments, demonstrate new technology and return astronauts to the distant, but not forgotten, lunar landscape.

Watch Eyewitness News at starting at 4 p.m. for more on the announcement.

Join us at 1 p.m. EDT for an announcement about our #Moon2024 plans! 🌑 Paving the way to return astronauts to the Moon, we will reveal our first selection of American companies that will deliver our science instruments and technology to the lunar surface: https://t.co/iFAyPWK0HM pic.twitter.com/TdDZqxvHAR
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) May 31, 2019