NASA provides 'high-level' update on Artemis moon landings, more. Watch

Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY Tue, March 24, 2026 at 12:47 PM UTC

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NASA provides 'high-level' update on Artemis moon landings, more. Watch

NASA will host a daylong public event to highlight the space agency's upcoming missions to land astronauts on the moon and other objectives under President Donald Trump.

Kicking off at 9 a.m. ET, Tuesday, March 24, the event includes a series of panels and briefings at NASA's headquarters meant to outline plans to return to the moon and build a permanent lunar base.

In just over a week, the first human moon mission in more than 50 years could launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending four astronauts on a journey around the moon.

The event also comes more than three months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order meant to pave the way for ensuring the U.S. remains a major leader in space exploration. Signed Dec. 18, 2025, the order sought to "extend the reach of human discovery, secure the nation’s vital economic and security interests, unleash commercial development and lay the foundation for a new space age."

1 / 02025 spaceflight in photos. See images of Blue Origin, SpaceX missionsFirefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander captures its shadow on the moon's surface after completing a successful landing March 2 near a volcanic feature on the moon called Mons Latreille. The vehicle became the first of two landers manufactured by a U.S. company to reach the moon is 2025 in crucial missions to lay the groundwork for NASA to return humans to the lunar surface in the years ahead.

Here's everything to know about NASA's public panels and how you can watch them.

NASA hosts 'high-level' public event on Trump's space policy

NASA will host a daylong public event at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., as it prepares for a historic human lunar mission that could set the stage for a defining era of space exploration in the years ahead.

Opening remarks from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at 9 a.m. ET Tuesday, March 24 will be followed by a series of "high-level" panels on the agency's overall space exploration goals under Trump – most prominently including astronaut moon landings under the Artemis program.

The day will end with a news conference at 4:45 p.m. ET "recapping major announcements discussed throughout the day," NASA said in a press release.

How to watch NASA livestream coverage

Coverage will be available on the agency's streaming app, NASA+ – also available on YouTube and the agency’s X account – as well as Amazon Prime. Netflix, which provides some live NASA coverage, including rocket launches, is not promoting the event on its platform.

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What is NASA's Artemis lunar program?

Established during Trump's first term, NASA's Artemis lunar program is the space agency's ambitious campaign to return American astronauts to the surface of the moon for the first time since the Apollo era came to an end in 1972.

Missions under the Artemis campaign began in 2022 with the uncrewed flight test of NASA's towering 322-foot Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule were astronauts will ride to lunar orbit.

Now, four astronauts are on the cusp of the first U.S. human moon mission in more than 50 years as part of Artemis 2. That mission could get off the ground as early as April from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending three Americans and one Canadian on a 10-day trip around the moon.

Ultimately, NASA aims to establish a permanent lunar base near the moon's south pole to facilitate exploration and, eventually, the first human expeditions to Mars.

When will astronauts return to moon? What to know about 2028 landing

A moon landing is now targeted for no earlier than 2028 under the Artemis 4 mission.

NASA leaders announced the target timeframe at the end of February while also unveiling a new mission under the lunar program now known as Artemis 3. Planned for 2027, that mission will involve sending a crew of astronauts to Earth orbit in the Orion capsule, where they will meet and dock with at least one of the lunar landers being developed by billionaire-owned Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk's SpaceX.

After an initial human lunar landing, Isaacman envisions another crewed surface mission later in 2028, followed by at least one crewed moon landing each year.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA event to detail space exploration plans under Trump. Watch

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