It's been a long time since NASA landed on the moon - and since then NASA has shown no tendency to return to the moon! It would be wrong to say that there is absolutely no trend, especially since the plan to return to the moon has been going on for a few years, where it was supposed to return to the moon in 2028, NASA wants to complete in 2024. With just five years to go before NASA returns to the moon, the agency says it needs an additional 2 billion to return to the moon!
NASA can currently spend 2,000 billion a year, but according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, an additional 2,000-3,000 million would be needed to reach the moon in five years. This means that NASA will need to add an additional 500-600 million to its annual costs. To get this money, NASA will have to go through Congress.
While the technology used in the new lunar return program does not yet exist, NASA will build a gateway station that will be in lunar orbit and from there will send and receive spacecraft to and from the surface of the moon. Only the first module of this gateway station has been ordered by NASA.
It is a matter of concern how thi.s extra money will come to NASA, again President Trump has put another stumbling block in this fundraising war! According to a recent tweet, he asked NASA to focus on larger missions, such as the Mars mission.