NASA Manager Casts Doubt On 2024 Moon Landing By Astronauts

A top NASA manager cast doubt Wednesday on the space agency’s ability to land astronauts on the moon by 2024.

Kenneth Bowersox, the acting associate administrator for human exploration and operations, told a Congressional subcommittee that NASA is doing its best to meet the White House-imposed deadline. But he noted: “I wouldn’t bet my oldest child’s upcoming birthday present or anything like that.”

Bowersox — a former space shuttle and space station commander — said it’s good for NASA to have “that aggressive goal.” Many things need to come together, like funding and technical challenges, he said, for 2024 to stand a chance.

“What’s important is that we launch when we’re ready, that we have a successful mission when it launches, and I’m not going to sit here and tell you that just arbitrarily we’re going to make it,” he said in response to questioning by U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Florida. “There’s a lot of risk in making the date, but we want to try to do it.”