Why the U.S. hasn’t returned to the Moon and what’s next

Why the U.S. hasn’t returned to the Moon and what’s next

In July 1969, the United States achieved a monumental feat in human history when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. The Apollo program, driven by intense Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, epitomized technological ingenuity, political will, and substantial financial investment. Over the course of six successful missions between 1969 and 1972, NASA lan…