NASA has pushed back the timeline for establishing a sustainable base for humans on the moon, disrupting a central element of President Trump’s space ambitions. Trump administration officials have long said plans to return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface also had to simultaneously lay the groundwork for setting up living and working facilities there. Vice President Mike Pence has repeatedly stressed that such a longer-term human presence was essential for developing technologies to explore deeper into the solar system.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 14, 2020 23:26 UTC