WASHINGTON, May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — NASA will announce the next major step in the Artemis program’s lunar surface exploration plans during a NASA Science Live broadcast at 1 p.m. EDT Friday, May 31. The announcement will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Paving the way to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon, and ultimately Mars, NASA will announce the selection of the first commercial Moon landing service providers that will deliver science and technology payloads as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). These missions will acquire new science measurements and enable important technology demonstrations, whose data will inform the development of future landers and other exploration systems needed for astronauts to return to the Moon by 2024.

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, will host this special edition of NASA Science Live.

Media may ask questions during the program by emailing their name, affiliation and phone number to Courtney O’Connor at oconnor@jpl.nasa.gov by 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 31. The public can send questions during the event using the hashtag #askNASA.

Following the announcement, NASA will host a media teleconference at 2:30 p.m. To participate, media must contact O’Connor at oconnor@jpl.nasa.gov or 818-281-7500 no later than 1:30 p.m.

The teleconference audio will stream live at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

For more information about NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration plans, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/moontomars

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SOURCE NASA