It is a huge step for diversity.
NASA plans to land the first person of color on the moon as part of an international space flight program, a representative from the agency said Friday.
“NEW: @NASA will land the first woman and * first person of color * on the moon under the Artemis program,” tweeted NASA press secretary Jackie McGuinness.
The news comes after an announcement in September that the agency will send the first-ever female astronaut to the moon in 2024 as part of the same program.
McGuinness told The Post on Friday that NASA had not yet determined who the person of color or the female astronaut would be – or whether it will be the same person.
“There have not been any specific crew selections yet,” she said. “Any specific crew orders will be made closer to launch.”
She added that the mission may now be delayed to 2025 or later.
“Biden’s administration supports the objectives of the Artemis program. However, given levels of funding for the human landing system over the past two years, a 2024 lunar landing target does not seem realistic. “
In 2019, NASA announced the Artemis program, which will land the first American on the moon since the Apollo moon mission in 1972.
The program includes research on commercial partnerships and other economic opportunities related to space travel.
NASA’s goal is to put that research and revenue into missions to explore Mars, which is more than 139 million miles further from Earth than the Moon.