Biden supports NASA's Artemis program back to the Moon

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the Biden administration supports NASA's Artemis program to send humans back to the surface of the Moon.

Why it matters: Some speculated that NASA's Artemis program would be canceled under Biden, as previous administrations have dramatically changed the direction of NASA's exploration goals.

Details: The comments today from Psaki show that the administration intends to stay the course, at least when it comes to the broad idea behind the mission.

• "To date only 12 humans have walked on the Moon. That was half a century ago. The Artemis program — a waypoint to Mars — provides... the opportunity to add numbers to that... Lunar exploration has broad and bicameral support in Congress," Psaki said, adding that "certainly we support this effort and endeavor."

Yes, but: President Biden has yet to announce his pick for a NASA administrator, who will affect the space agency's course in the coming years, and the administration has not put forth new details about its space policy priorities.

• It remains to be seen whether the Artemis program's goal of landing people on the Moon by 2024 will stand firm.
• That quick timeline — put in place by the Trump administration — has come under fire for being politically motivated and too risky.